Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos
by The Masked Wanderer
Summary: When the worlds of Yugi Muto, the Keybladers, and many others collide, Yugi will be tested beyond his limits and be thrown into darkness and back. THIS FANFIC IS OVER, BUT THE STORY GOES ON! READ THE NEW AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR MORE INFORMATION!
1. Prolouge Part 1: Wandering

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. Both are owned by Kazuki Takahashi and Square Soft respectfully**

* * *

**The Heart of Chaos**

Prolouge, Part 1: Wandering

Darkness.

Just Darkness.

Pure, glorious darkness.

As the man walked through the dark abyss, the feeling of dread and hoplessness clung to him like putty and made his hair stand up. He could not even think one happy thought in his mind; the darkness clouded his thoughts out of reach. For a moment, it seemed that the only things left in the man's mind were thoughts of evil and suffering. This, he believed, was the one fate worse than death.

For miles and miles to come, he could see nothing but darkness. There were no homes, no people, no animals, or any linving thing whatsoever--just darkness. It filled everything in this world...or at least, that was what the man thought. It filled the air that he breathed, making it stale and rotton. It blackened and hardened the ground. But perhaps the worst thing that the man saw was the sky, where there was no light. He knew there never would be light there or anywhere in the world--nothing would ever change that.

Of course, this didn't seem unfamiliar to the man at all. Wandering into darkness was his duty, his mission, and the only thing that gave his life purpose. That's how he got his name: The Wanderer. He had no job, no love, no personal goals...just wander, observe, and help the poor and defenseless. Armed only with a staff, some medicine, and a journal, the Wanderer's mission was to find suffering souls about to be consumed by darkness and record their stories of how they came to the place they did and who was responsible for their pain and suffering. The Wanderer had no idea why he did this--maybe it was to reconcile his fears of fading away into darkness, or distract himself from his own dark past. Whatever the reason, the goal was simple: gather as many stories as possible, publish them into a collection and sell many copies. This way, all would understand about the darkness and do whatever was possible to stop it from plauging their worlds.

Tonight was a special night for collecting stories. The Wanderer had gotten a tip about someone who had crossed over into another person's world, then got lost in that realm of darkness. When he asked them why, they wouldn't answer; obviously they didn't know or want to tell him. Intrigued by the idea of someone stuck in a different darkness, the Wanderer asked them who the person was. He had recorded all the information on a sheet of paper: name, birthplace and time, world his lived in, and much more. Afraid he would forget what to ask the person when he found him, the Wanderer took out the sheet of paper and looked it over.

_Name: Yugi Muto_

_Gender: Male_

_Age: 31_

_Marital Status: Divorced with Tea Gardner_

_Children: Sarah Muto, aged 4-5_

_Origin World: Domino City, Japan **(Yu-Gi-Oh!, for those of you who don't watch the show)**_

_World he/se Succumed to: The World that Never Was **(Kingdom Hearts, for those of you who don't play the games)**_

That was all he had been able to recieve before the source had been mysteriously found dead 2 days later in a place called Hollow Bastion, so he didn't know exactly where to find this 'World that Never Was' place; the only means of transportation he had was a hoverboard, but that wouldn't do him any good since he didn't know where he was supposed to go. There was also the fact that realms of darkness were very dangerous, and though he had been though many dark realms before, he had never let go of his fear of darkness. Were it not for his desire to record the stories of other suffering souls, the Wanderer would not even bother going to other worlds.

Eventually he did find this world, and now the same thing was happening all over again.

He was wandering.

Wandering.

Looking for a person in a world of nightmarish hell.

Reaching in his black vest, the Wanderer took out a recorder. This recorder was often used to record his thoughts on the current situation, something he could not do so well on pen and paper. That should be saved for after he found Yugi Muto. He pressed the record button and started speaking into it.

"Today is June 13, 2008, 13:08. Subject: Yugi Muto. It has been four days, and still no sign of the subject. I have come to believe that he is either dead or been held captive. In my travels, I noticed a strange object. It looked like a sword in the shape of a key. The key-like sword beared a strange keychain that resembled a mouse. I have reason to believe that there was a great battle that took place here. However, due to lack of evidence, there are no actual conclusions yet. Wander, out"

When he was done, the Wanderer pressed Stop and put the recorder back in his vest. Then he moved forward, hoping to find the subject before it was too late.

"Yugi Muto, your time has come. Now every world shall learn your story and fight the darkness..."

**To be continued...****Hope it's good so far. If it's not, I'm really sorry. This is my first serious fanfic. Actually, this is my first Fanfic EVER! So flames are accepted, and I will not be mad at you if it's not good. Till next time--Wanderer out!**


	2. Prolouge Part 2: Answers

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. Both are owned by Kazuki Takahashi and Square Soft respectfully**

* * *

**The Heart of Chaos**

Prolouge Part 2: Answers

Time was of the essence.

Soon there would be nothing left.

Yugi would be consumed by darkness.

It had been 3 days so far, and the Wanderer still could not find the man who was once called the King of Games. At this point, it probably didn't even matter whether or not he was found; Yugi would probably be too corrupted by darkness to be of significant value to my goal. He'd seen it before: the darkness was a mind-wrecker that tore against everything in its path, making those that followed its path only shells of their former selves.

It had happened to many of his close friends and family; first the darkness filled you with false hopes and dreams, then it kicked you around like when you were nothing. And when you were finally down and suffering, begging for mercy, the darkness took you away.

That was how bad it had been for his family.

That was what almost happened to him.

And that was what was eventually going to happen to everyone on the face of the Earth and in all worlds.

That is, unless he did something about it.

However, the Wanderer had to face the facts of life. The odds of finding every suffering soul of darkness were very slim, and chances are that they wouldn't tell him their stories. Also, even if he found great stories for his collection, chances were that nobody would ever read it. People tended to forget the important things in life and stray off the path of goodness in order to obtain worldly things. No man could ever be free of darkness; people will always follow the darkness because every one is selfish and greedy. The Wanderer knew this all along, but he had not believed it; no, it was almost as if he didn't want to believe it.

But it was the truth. He knew it was the truth.

Realizing this for the first time, the Wanderer said, "This is pointless. My life is pointless." Sighing, the Wanderer took out his recorder and said the following message: "Mission Aborted. Repeat, mission aborted. Yugi Muto, aged 31, is now presumed dead due to succumbing to darkness. The time is 8:34PM, Central/Pacific."

The Wanderer put the camcorder away and took out his portal porjector. He often used it to escape certain situations and warp between worlds. It was similar to a ray gun, only it was silver and very small in size. He was about to press the green button on his porjector when he heard a cry for help.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

The Wanderer gasped and turned around. Somewhere, there was someone crying for help just behind him. He reacted on impulse and ran towards the sound. "Just hope I'm not too late..."

When the Wanderer found where the voice came from, he was astounded at what he saw. He swore he saw a man in tattered clothes running from little black creatures. This man had tri-colored hair that stood up like spikes, a blue choker around his neck, and no shoes on. Also, he was carrying a broken metal pole and whacking the creatures with it. The Wanderer was in shock: the man was Yugi Muto

Of course, the black creatures were Heartless, beings without hearts. He knew this because the source had told him earlier:

_Flashback_

_"So what else do you know about this Yugi Muto you're telling me about?" the Wanderer asked._

_"Well basically he's this Duel Monsters champion who got lost in this other world," the boy with spectacles and blue hair said. "See, he was feeling pretty bad about his life, what with his friend dying and all. He wanted to end his pain and suffering, so he eventually meets this witch who promises him the end of his suffering..."_

_"Power? Witch? You really expect me to believe that?"_

_"But it's true! All of it's true! Then he duels the witch! After a long time, I saw this burst of light! When I looked back, he was gone. The guy was gone as soon as I looked back!"_

_The Wanderer sighed. "So where is he now?"_

_"Rumor has it there was a great war between monsters and Heartless in a place called the World that Never Was, and Yugi was involved in it. Some say he was the hero, but others say he was an evil ruler in that battle. I should know: I was there!"_

_The Wanderer slapped the boy two time across his face. "Well, which one was it? Was he good or evil? He can't obviously be both!"_

_The boy cried again. "I don't know! I was hiding somewhere during the whole war! You gotta believe me, dude! It's the truth!"_

_The Wanderer shook his head. "Of course you would do that. Anyways, you're saying he might be trapped in that world?" The boy nodded in reply, and then the Wanderer said: "Okay, all I need is your name for documentation, then I'll be done here."_

_"Syrus. Syrus Trusdale. And you didn't hear any of that stuff from me. Plus, you should be aware of Heartless."_

_"What are those?"_

_"There dark beings whose main goal in life is to steal people's hearts."_

_"And what do they look like?"_

_"Well, they come in many forms, but some of them are little black creatures_

_"Okay, gotta go, bye!" Syrus ran off as fast as he could, far away as possible from the Wanderer. The Wanderer sighed and walked off._

_"Hah! Beings who steal hearts! What are the odds of that?"_

* * *

Now, as he saw the little black creatures now known as Heartless attacking the poor man, he knew for sure that Syrus hadn't been lying. The Wanderer knew for sure that the man was doomed...unless he did something about it.

He was about to run to where the man was until...

'Don't bother saving him. That would be breaking the promise you made,' the voice in his head said. 'You don't want to do that now, would you?'

"But that man is in danger! I have to save him, or else he'll die!" The Wanderer replied. It was true that the Wanderer had taken a vow to never help someone in need. Humans were beyond helping; they were a savage and vile race who cared for no one but themselves. The Wanderer had known that all too well. All his life people had been pushing him around and treating him like he was garbage. Not even his own family members cared of his existance; they just ignored him and went on with their lives.

But this time was different; someone's life was in danger. No matter now much he hated the human race, he could not stand the idea of someone dying due to his actions. This, he felt, was an exception to the vow he made years ago...

What made it even worse was that the man who was being attacked was the person he had been looking for: Yugi Muto.

"Don't worry! I'll save you!" The Wanderer leaped into the air and landed to where Yugi was. The Heartless had been making a pile on top of Yugi, but as soon as they heard the Wanderer, they leaped off Yugi and surrounded the Wanderer.

"Come get some!" As the Heartless swarmed over him, he kicked them and punched them in the chests, making them disappear immediately.

"Hah! Is that all you've got!

(3 hours later)

Now the Heartless were coming in millions. They had taken his notebook and pen and threw them off to the side. Now the Wanderer was defenseless. They were about to eat him alive, and he held up his hand in defense, when all of a sudden, there was a burst of light...

When he opened his eyes, he saw a key shaped sword with a keychain in his hand. As soon as the Heartless saw this, they ran off, leaving the Wanderer and Yugi alone. Confused, the Wanderer took a good look at the weapon. He immediately realized that it was the same sword he found earlier.

"What the..." The Wanderer was confused. How did this sword appear in his hand immediately when he was attacked. Was it destiny? Or was something else going on? The last time he found this 'Key sword', it had disppeared as soon as he touched it. So why did it come back?...

Anyway, this was no time for games. The Wanderer had found who he had been looking for. Now all he had to do was talk, and his mission would be accomplished.

The Wanderer walked to where Yugi was, with caution, to avoid scaring him. The thirty-one year old duelist was shivering, and was curled up in a ball. Either he was looking at the Wanderer's bandaged face, or it was the fact that he was looking at someone with a sword approaching him. Whatever the case, it was apparent Yugi wasn't going to talk the Wanderer.

The Wanderer noticed the fear and shock in Yugi's eyes, so he put the sword into the ground, went back to pick up his notebook and pen, then walked back to where Yugi was. He held out his hand and asked, "Are you okay?"

Yugi was startled by the sudden gesture and crawled away from the Wanderer. He started crying and put his head down.

The Wanderer sighed and put his notebook and pen down. "It's okay. You're safe now. Those creatures would have killed you if I hadn't stepped in. I won't hurt you; honest."

Yugi looked up. "W..Who are you..." Then, all of a sudden, Yugi began to lose consciousness.

The Wanderer ran to where Yugi was and held him up. "What the...are you okay?"

Yugi did not respond; he was in too much pain to answer. Slowly, he began to black out. Eventually, he was sprawled out onto the hard floor.

The Wanderer gulped. "Oh boy. Now what do I do?"

**To be continued...**

**It looks like the Wanderer has got a lot on his hands right now. How is going to get his story with Yugi unconscious? Will Yugi live to tell his tale? And WHY don't I have any reviews for Part 1? PLEASE R&R! I NEED REVIEWS! (And Part 3 is coming soon**

**Heh, sorry about that. I WAY overreacted. Anyway, I decided to edit Part 1 and repost it, so please R&R! Sorry if this story is boring at first; don't worry; it will get better. The remainder of the story after the final part of the prolouge will be told in Yugi's POV and there will be better dialouge. Also, the Wanderer will reveal his special powers that make the story even more interesting. The story will be awesome: I promise. Just please review, or I may have to delete this story. Well, now...**

**Wanderer, out!**


	3. Prolouge Part 3: Realization

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. Sorry.**

******The Heart of Chaos**

Prolouge Part 3: Realization

When Yugi Muto woke up and regained consciousness, the first thing that came to his mind was: _Where am I?_

Slowly, he became familiar with his surroundings as his eyesight returned. He was in an orange tent that was about nine or ten inches long and two feet long. Yugi looked on both sides and noticed some odd things. On his left side, he saw a huge bundle of junk that included a robotic arm, a pair of binoculars, a tape recorder, and a supply of pickles and cheese. To his right, there was a notebook and a pen. Also, he saw something that looked like a raygun, but considering that he had blacked out for a while, it was possible that he was hallucinating.

However, one thing stood out that caught his attention. From the corner of his eye, Yugi noticed a strange sword that was shaped like a key stuck in the far right corner. In a state of shock and horror, Yugi immediately realized what that was. He immediately got up and said, "What?! What's going on?"

"Well, aren't you the early riser."

"Huh?!" Startled, Yugi looked up to see a man dressed in a black shirt, black vest, and blue shorts standing in the opening of the tent. The man also had bandages wrapping a majority of his face, and he was carrying a pencil in his right hand. "Who are you? And where am I?"

"Don't flatter youself," the man replied. "It's pointless to ask stupid questions with your last remining strength. Just lie down for a while."

Instantly, and in a flash, Yugi remembered what had happened. He had been attacked by Heartless, but was saved by some unknown stranger. "How long have I been out?"

The man pretended to take out his watch and check the time. "Oh, about 9 to 10 hours, give or take a few minutes. Not that it matters anyway."

"What do you mean?"

The man laughed and pointed at Yugi with his pencil. "Look at yourself; you're a total wreck. Face it, you'll be dead by the end of the weel. Considering how you did against those Heartless, I'd say the darkness has already consumed your mind and soul."

Yugi grimaced. _This guy is really starting to get on my nerves,_ he thought. Though his memories of the incident were faded, he did remember that there had been about forty creatures attacking him, and he had no way of protecting himself from them. "Oh really!" Yugi retorted back. "I'd like to see you try and fight about a hundred of those little pests without a weapon. Then maybe you won't think of me as weak and spineless!"

The man smiled and shook his head. He pretended to look he was a little child and started to pretend he was crying. "It's not polite to yell at strangers, Yugi. It's very mean," The man said in the best childish voice he could imitate.

_He's taunting me again_, Yugi thought. _I hate it when he does that! _"So, are you going to tell me where I am, or do you have a nasty retort for that question as well?"

The man closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. You're in the realm of darkness, and you were being attacked by Heartless. Of course, you were probably aware of that already..."

"Anyway," the man continued, "I found you surrounded and decided to help you. After you thanked me for saving you, you suddenly collapsed."

Yugi nodded and put a hand to his head. It was all coming back to him now, in bits and pieces. However, there was one thought that wouldn't leave his mind. For a second-and only for a second- he thought he had seen this man holding a Keyblade. Pushing the thought out his mind, he exclaimed, "But you didn't answer my first question. Who are you? And why did you save me?"

The man threw his pencil in the air and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

Still snickering, the man responded. "Oh nothing. It's just that question."

Yugi was confused. What did the man mean by that? Curious to know, he asked, "What about it?"

"Think about it," the man responded. "Doesn't it sound so...general?"

"General? What's so general about it?"

"It could mean anything. It could mean that you're asking me what my name is. It could mean you're asking me if i'm human or not. But perhaps the most interesting thing you could have meant is...what side am I on?"

Yugi's eyes widened when he heard what the man had said. "Side?"

The man twideled his pencil in his fingers as he spoke in a cheerful, mocking tone. "Why of course, Yugi. Sides. Light and darkness. They are what seperate human beings and keep us in balance. It is what keeps the universe in order. We must all choose a side. You can choose light, or you can choose darkness. One must follow one or the other: you cannot follow both."

"Darkness is NOT all bad! YOu don't have to just have light or darkness. In fact, you cannot."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because darkness is half of every human being. You cannot have one without the other; they are intertwined together, both dwelling in the same heart. You said all this yourself, so why did you say that you cannot follow both?"

The man threw his pencil in the air and caught it. Laughing, he replied. "Did I say that? That's funny, I was really trying to say was that you can't follow good or evil. Your choices are what make you light or dark."

Something strange happened after that. The man's eyes turned red, and he crushed the pencil in his hands. Yugi couldn't put his finger on it, but something had happened that changed the man's tone completely. "Of course, you would know all about choices, wouldn't you Mr. Muto?"

Yugi's eyes filled up with fear and terror. "Choices?"

"You've been making choices that have impacted the world quite some time now, Yugi. Think about it; what choices have YOU made?"

Yugi didn't need to think for one minute about what all he had done to his world; he already knew. Whether is was endangering his friends or losing his loved ones to a demonic beast, those villains had always been after one person: Yugi. He did not respond to the man's questions, for he was afraid to hear what else he might say.

"Shocked, are you?" The man continued. "Well, this only proves my point. How can you ask me who I am, when you don't even know who you are?"

Yugi couldn't take it anymore. Raising his head, he bellowed, "No...you're lying! How can it be true? I would never endanger my friends or family!"

"But you did, Yugi. You did hurt someone in your family. Your daughter, Sarah-that is her name, I presume- was hurt because of your actions."

Yugi's eyes widened. _How much does this guy know about me? Is he a stalker,_ he thought. It was pointless to ask how the man knew, so he simply said, "If that's what you want to believe. But what's your point?"

The man ignored him and went on. "What would she think if she saw you now? Wouldn't she be ashamed?"

Yugi didn't reply. He simply nodded and looked down with shame.

"Good. I thought so. And for less confusion, I am known simply as the Wanderer. Sorry for taking so long to tell you that."

Yugi finally snapped. He had had enough with this guy messing with his head, so he looked up and exclaimed, "What's the point of asking me all these questions? The darkness is gone now, trapped in this realm for eternity! It won't bother me anymore!"

The man took out another sharp pencil and flung it at Yugi's forehead, leaving a small bleeding gash

Yugi screamed and grabbed his forehead. "Oww! What the hell was that for?"

"For being a wimpy idiot, you dope." The Wanderer became angry once again and frowned. "You need to think realistically about this. Don't forget; you're also in this realm and he could come back for you anytime!"

Yugi shook his head and replied, "If I have to stay in this realm for eternity in order to keep him from my family and friends, well then so be it! I will fight him until one of us dies!"

Then something odd happened. The Wanderer started to laugh uncontrollably. Eventually, he was kneeling on the floor laughing.

Yugi grimaced. _This joker still isn't taking me seriously_, he thought. _What is wrong with him? _Too tired to yell at him, he simply said, "I must have missed the joke."

The Wanderer stopped laughing and got up to his feet. A big grin on his face, he replied, "You are the joke, Muto. You and your little pathetic race. All you humans think about is war and destruction. I guess it's true what people say about you."

"What do they say about me?"

The Wanderer pointed one finger at Yugi and exclaimed, "You've lost your light."

He walked out of the tent suddenly, with Yugi following him. Apparently, the Wanderer had camped out on a cliff, but Yugi could see nothing but pitch black ground below him. Reaching in his knapsack, the Wanderer pulled out his duel disk and placed it on his arm.

"What are you doing?" Yugi was confused. Was this guy really going to duel him. _But why would he even bother dueling me if I'm weak as he says? Besides, I don't even have my Duel Disk with me, so this whole thing is just pointless. _"Are we going to duel?"

The Wanderer nodded. "For being the King of Games, you haven't lived up to your reputation. You need to be a man for once and face your darkness head on! If you really think you're capable of that, then you should have no problem defeating me in a duel!"

Yugi backed away slowly. "But I don't have a Duel Disk! I can't duel you!"

"Use this." The Wanderer threw a black Duel Disk in Yugi's direction. Yugi caught, activated it, and placed his Deck in the slot. _Heart of the Cards, guide me. Make the Wanderer see that I am capable of defeating the darkness_, Yugi thought.

"DUEL!!" Both the Wanderer and Yugi cried.

Yugi: 8000  
W: 8000

"My move!" The Wanderer drew. Looking at his card, he grinned. "This card will be handy. But for now, I'll summon **Giant Rat (1400/800)** in attack mode! " The blue rat appeared onto Wanderer's field, armed and ready. "Then I'll play two cards face down. Your move, coward."

Yugi scowled as he drew. "My move! Now prepare to see one of the most powerful monsters you will ever see!" Yugi grinned and held up the card in his hand. "I summon **Valkerion, the Magna Warrior! (3500/3850) **By discarding all three Magnet Warriors from my hand, I can summon this all powerful monster to my field!" Yugi sent his three monsters to the graveyard. Grinning, he declared, "Now attack with Magnet Slash!"

"Not so fast, King of Shame! I play **Wall of Revealing Light!**" The Wanderer revealed his face down. "By paying Life Points in multiples of 1000, every one of your monsters whose attack points are equal to are less than the paid amount cannot attack me! Looks like your Magna Warrior should be called a Magna Loser!"

Yugi sighed. "Well you're not out of the clear yet. I play one card face down and end my turn." _I have to keep stalling him for a while, so Mirror Force ought to keep him on the run for a while, _he thought. "Your move, creep." (A/N: I copied that from Robocop. Just thought it sounded cool."

W: 4000  
Yugi: 8000

"It's my move again! And I draw!" The Wanderer drew. "Oh, by the way; call me creep again and I'll throw a hundred pencils at your forehaed and choke your windpipe. Now I summon **Thousand Eyes Idol (0/0)** in attack mode!" A strange creature with many eyes appeared on his side of the field. "Now I'm ordering my Idol to attack your Magna Warrior! Go; use Thousand Energy Wave!"

Thousand Eyes Idol opened all of its eyes and lauched blue beams from every one of them at Yugi's Valkerion.

Yugi was suprised and taken aback. "But why would you attack me with a monster with 0 attack points! You'd just lose even more Life Points!"

The Wanderer smirked. "Then go ahead. Counterattack with your Magna Warrior and reduce my Life Points."

Yugi nodded. "Very well: I shall. Valkerion! Counterattack with Magnet Fury!"

Valkerion blocked the beams with his sword and lauched his sword at Thousand-Eyes Idol's center. The monster was split clean in half and vanished.

W: 500  
Yugi: 8000

"Ha! That was utterly pointless! And you said you'd teach me a lesson! Please! I don't see why you would delibrately ram your monster into mine. Unless..." He realized what the Wanderer's true intention was, but it was too late to stop him.

"...I still have one final trick of my sleeve, Yugi," the Wanderer finished. "Behold as I activate from my hand, **Inferno Tempest!"**

Yugi was unable to breathe. Inferno Tempest was one of the most hard-to-play cards in the game, but also one of the most powerful. The last time he had encountered such a card was when he and Kaiba were faced against Anubis, the god of the dead. Anubis had used this card to devastate their decks and rendered them powerless. Had he and the Pharoah not used Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon at the last minute, they would have been dead instantly.

Now, he was forced to relive that moment here, in the realm of darkness. As the Wanderer activated the card, Yugi was reminded of all the horrible things that had happened on that day, when he and his friends were put into utter danger.

"Recognize this card, Yugi? It's the same card Anubis used against you in that duel with Kaiba. "

The Wanderer laughed and pointed at the sky. "And now it's going to seve a new purpose: to help you find your light!"

"To refresh your memory, let me explain what this card does. When I take 3000 or more points of damage from one battle, this card activates. It removes from play every card in our decks and graveyards. So basically," the Wanderer finished, "you're pretty much screwed!"

Yugi's eyes widened. This meant that his only means of winning his duel were gone. His monsters-no, his last remaining friends- would be removed from him all at once. Dark Magician, Celtic Guardian, Dark Magician Girl, and even the 3 God cards would all leave him; alone and with no pretection.

With nothing but his Magna Warrior, Yugi knew that this was the end. This is the duel that would send him away forever. And he would never again see his friends again...

The Wanderer smiled and took out every monster in his deck and threw them away. Then the cards vanished into thin air.

Yugi watched in shock as all of Wanderer's monsters disappeared. "What...what was that?"

"I may have forgot to mention that any card removed from play in this dimension will be scattered across this realm. They will not return until the user is dead or until the user escapes this dimension, whichever comes first." The Wanderer frowned again and became serious. "So say goodbye to every worthless monster in you Deck and Graveyard, you fool! Forever!"

Yugi began to cry. The thought of losing his cards was too unberable to handle. He had lost his wife, his daughter, and his friends...those cards were the only things of any value he had left. Reluctantly, he emptied his cards out of his deck and graveyard.

Sighing, he held them close to his heart one last time. _My friends...I'm sorry for this. I have no choice._

Sobbing, he threw his monsters into the open black air. One by one, each one of them evaporated and mixed with the black air of nothingness, scattering into the darkness. As the cards drew farther and farther from him, Yugi felt as though they were screaming and yelling as much as he was inside.

Now Yugi had nothing left. No monsters, no friends, and no support; the great King of Games was beat. He sank to his knees and sobbed. "Now there is nothing for me but darkness. I guess I must fade away for eternity...it must be my fate."

"Well then, that settles it."

The Wanderer deactivated his Duel Disk and placed it in his bag. Supirised, Yugi looked up to see the Wanderer walk up to him and hold out his hand in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

Yugi now saw something that he had not expected to see in the Wanderer's eyes. He saw pain and sadness where he had been expecting joy and victory. Also, he noticed a tear come down the Wanderer's cheek. _Is he...sad? But why would he be? All of my monsters disappeared; he should be happy!_ Yugi thought.

The Wanderer sniffed and wiped the tear away. He said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to take away your monsters. But it had to be done."

"Why?"

"I needed to make sure that you truly were succumbing to darkness. It's a key part of the job. A duel can tell so much about a person; it tells us who they are and how stong and wise they are a person, not just as a duelist. But more importantly," he continued, "it tells if the person is stable or not."

"Stable?" Yugi didn't get it. So this was a test to see if he was strong enough?

"Yes. You see, I lied to you. All that light humor and crude jokes were a ruse to get you angry and riled up. People who are corrupted by darkness are more reckless and take needless risks."

The Wanderer then took the card in Yugi's hand and showed it to him. "See this card? What's its name?"

Yugi took a moment to realize what the card was. "It's Heavy Storm," he said in humiliation.

"Correct," the Wanderer noted. "If you had used this before you summoned your Warrior, you would have destroyed my two cards, including Inferno Tempest. Doing so would have saved your monster's lives (Though it may not have saved yours; I still could have beat you without those cards in my deck) But you made reckless actions due to the tauntings I did, so you didn't do so properly."

Yugi shook his head and replied. "Well, that doesn't prove anything. People get annoyed by taunting all the time; anyone could have done the same."

The Wanderer sighed. "No, you're not getting it. If you hadn't been corrupted by darkness, you wouldn't have made a stupid move. If you hadn't let you emotions get the better of you, you'd have seen the Heavy Storm in your hand. Did you see it?"

Yugi thought to the beginning of the duel, when the Wanderer had called him a coward. He remembered feeling very angry and evil at that moment. Then he thought of the card he drew, and then he realized...

"The first card I drew was Valkerion the Magna Warrior. I was so angry at being called a coward that I didn't even look at the rest of my hand. Heavy Storm was at the end; I didn't even look at it: the darkness is in my mind had corrupted my thought process.

Realizing what he had done, he looked down and cried again. "W..What have I done?! I've killed them! I got rid of the only things that gave me hope and happiness. No, my cards...gone. They're all gone!" He instantly grabbed the Wanderer's vest and cried, "What is the matter with me? Where is the Yugi I known...gone."

The Wanderer closed his eyes and put his hand on Yugi's shoulder. "I cannot answer that. You must find that out for yourself. Now come with me to the tent; it's time to explain my purpose in this world." Helping him up, the Wanderer took the even wimpier Yugi back to the tent...

* * *

When they got back, it was dark...or at least, as dark as a place like this could get. Originally just a purple/black combination, the sky was now completely pitch black. Nothing could be seen for miles, not even the faintest bit of light. Except for the fire outside the tent.

The Wanderer had placed Yugi in the tent again; this time he had put a heating pad on Yugi's forehead and placed a bandage where he had struck Yugi with a pencil. He woke up to see the bandaged man offering him some tea in a blue mug.

"Here. Take this. It'll help calm your body."

"Um...thanks." Yugi took the tea and slowy drank some of it. Then he put the cup down and lay down again. He was suprised about the Wanderer's sudden kindness, and he was almost afraid that it wouldn't last.

"So how are you right now?"

Yugi put a hand to his forehead. "I seem to be okay now. A bit drowsy now, but I'll manage."

The Wanderer smiled. "That's good." But then his smile vanished, and he took out his notebook. "Now it's time I told you the truth."

Yugi winced. _Truth? What truth? _So far, everything the Wanderer had said was a suprise to him, and he had no idea what this bandaged man would say next. "What is it?" He asked.

"Yugi, before I tell you the rest, there's something you need to know."

"Yes?"

"You have to be strong. Be as brave as you can be. Can you do that?"

"Um...I guess." Yugi was unprepared for what the Wanderer had to say next.

"I want to hear your story about how you came to this world and what happened to you."

Yugi immediately sat up straight and looked at the Wanderer with wide eyes. "Share my...story?"

"Yes Yugi...I want you story."

Yugi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why would this man want to hear his story?

"You're probably thinking about why I want to hear it. Well here's the reason:

I've seen darkness corrupt the minds of people, making them do terrible things and hurt their loved ones. My loved ones have hurt be due to darkness. Then one of them died, so I vowed to make a pledge: I would cronicle the lives of all who succumb to darkness and write their stories in a collection.

"But why?"

"Why? I'll show you why..."

The Wanderer took out a book and handed it to Yugi. "'The Dark Cronicles: Volume 1?'"

"Yes. This a collection of stories of darkness. Go ahead; check it out."

Yugi skimmed through the book. Page after page, he saw heartbreaking stories of many innocent lives. Some had commited suicide because their lovers had loved someone else. Others were killed by their spouses to get their money. Yugi put the book down and sighed.

"It's amazing how evil people can be. No wonder you wrote down their stories. I feel as though I want to help the characters in this book, even though it's impossible ..."

The Wanderer smiled. "Good attitude, Yugi. That's what answer I was expecting from someone like you."

Then he got up and opened the tent door, revealing the pitch-black darkness. "If only people were as open as that darkness, they'd realize how unneccesariy it is to follow darkness."

He turned back to Yugi and looked at his book. "With that book, and many others, I want to convince people about the darkness and why it is important to keep a balance between light and dark."

"When people realize this, the darkness will go away. Small things lead to big things, and big things lead to catastrophes. Whatever happens, my readers should eventually be kind to other people, and those people will be kind will kind be to others, and THOSE people will be kind to others, and so on and so forth. Basically it's a chain of human kindness that will eventually eradicate all darkness from the world. Then-and only then- we can be at peace."

The Wanderer walked over to Yugi and held out a hand. "So what do you say? Will you help me in this mission?"

Yugi grasped his hand and replied, "Let's do this..."

**It seems that Yugi had decided to help our little wandering friend. But just what is it that haunts Yugi? What-or who- could have sent him in this realm of nothingness? And will he ever escape this realm and return to the people he loves? Find all this and more in the first chapter of HOC!**

**Again, PLEASE R&R! PLEASE! I know people read this fic, but nobody reviews. I'm really desperate; criticism is what I live for! Please help me, and I promise this fic will be very exciting later on! Just keep reading, and you will not be disappointed! At least, I'll see what I can do!**

**Wanderer, out!**


	4. The Call

You could be great and heroic.

Or you could be a terrifying monster.

You could fight for justice and honor.

Or you could fight for selfish reasons.

You could be a loner, with no one to support you.

Or you could just have friends cheering you on.

I just happen to be one of those guys that fits in all of those categories.

* * *

My name is Yugi Muto.

And this is my story.

The Call

_(Yugi's POV)_

You're probably wondering what I'm even doing in this rotten place. I'm still trying to make sense out of this as well. But if you really want the facts, then I'll tell you…

It started on a warm summer day, one year ago. I was cleaning the counters, as usual; there was this one spot that just wouldn't come off, no matter how hard I tried. I took the glass cleaner and sprayed. Then I wiped the spot.

No dice.

_Damn spot_, I thought to myself. I repeated the process once again.

Spray.

Wipe.

Nothing.

_Freakin' damn!! _I growled in frustration. Once more I repeated the process.

Spray.

Wipe.

Still nothing.

_DAMN YOU!!! _Without thinking, I punched the glass with my fist, shattering it into pieces. The act caused my left hand to start bleeding profusely.

"Oh, that's just perfect," I mumbled. "That was a waste of some perfectly good glass."

Not that replacing a glass even mattered anymore. Nothing mattered much anymore...

To tell you the truth, my life hadn't exactly been going well these last ten or so years. Ever since the Pharoah left me alone, I felt as if-

(Wanderer: Wait: who's Fearow? Isn't that a Pokemon?)

What are you doing?

(W: Um...breaking the fourth wall to add intentional humor to a serious and dark story that would otherwise be painful to the minds of children and crazed fans alike?)

WILL YOU PLEASE NOT DO THAT?! I am TRYING to establish mood and provide some background info to the story at hand!

(W: Whatever man...)

Thank you!! Now, where was I?...Oh yes, I was gonna tell you about my life.

Ever since the Pharoah left me alone, I felt as if life itself had crashed, and my world as I knew it would cease to exist. For a time, I was unable to fathom the very thought that he was gone. Sometimes before I went to bed, I would try talking out loud, still believing that the Pharoah's ghost would be around to listen to what I had to say.

But he never was. And I would cry myself to sleep. Without him, I was nothing. Who would encourage me to be my best and keep moving forward? Who would laugh to all those funny stories about me and Joey raiding the men's locker room and putting spaghetti in their socks? Who would be my friend?

By the way, he's not a Pokemon. He's an ancient Egyptian king who lived around 5,000 years ago, possessed a magical artifact, and used powers to bring monsters to life in order to stop an evil being from destroying the world.

(W: Yeah, I knew that. I researched a lot about you before I tracked you down here)

Then why did you ask me in the first place?

(W: To mess with you)

Grr... And what did I say about breaking the fourth wall? Don't you know how dangerous that is?

(W: Like I said, I know everything. I just love messing with you)

Sigh...let's move on then.

I wasn't able to escape the fame of King of Games, and I was still regarded as the most powerful duelist that ever lived. Sure, it was kinda cool for a while. But then, when I was 24, I decided to call it quits, because I just didn't feel like dueling without the Pharoah anymore. Even though I managed to beat him in the Ceremonial Duel, it still felt awkward dueling without him. Besides, what did I have to prove to anybody? I was already the World Champion! Wasn't that enough? I didn't care about fame and fortune: in fact, the only reason I was the duelist that I was was because I was forced to duel in order to save the world. And since the world was safe, that was good enough for me.

Another reason that I retired due to the fact that I had to take care of my 4-year-old daughter Sarah. As much as I hated to admit it, dueling wouldn't allow me the time to do that. But I loved dueling so much, the thought of just giving it all up seemed unreal. So I decided to work for Industrial Illusions in their Japanese division. I thought it would be the perfect job, getting to spend a lot of time with Duel Monsters cards.

I was wrong. The job forced me to work overtime. A lot of overtime. I wasn't able to play with my daughter or do errands for my wife Tea. Eventually she got fed up with me and left us. I don't know what her problem was: it's not like I asked to work long hours. I was just trying to pay the bills and care for my family. And she thought she could just leave me all alone like that?

But that wasn't the worst thing that happened to me. What really hit the nail on the head was when I heard about the accident. My friend Tristan had died in a motorcycle crash when he collided into a tree. He was drunk, and he had gotten into a bar fight with someone who had called me a failure. I couldn't bear the shock I recieved when I learned about this fact. To think that I had unwittingly caused the death of my closest friend filled me with rage and sadness.

By now, you would probably expect me to just kill myself and end the misery. Well, I didn't have the guts to do it.

No, not for me. Not for the world. But for my little Sarah.

You see, I had grown up without a father, and I promised myself that I would never let my daughter experience that same pain and lonliness. So I moved forward, trying to pick myself up and reclaim the life that the Pharoah had given me. But then- well, let's just say time is not kind to the suffering.

The only difference between my life before and after the Pharoah is that I no longer had my grandfather to comfort and protect me. He died from a massive stroke, about 3 months before this madness began. I was the only one who attended his funeral. My friends never came.

Can you believe it? After all we had been through, after all the sacrifices we had made for each other, my friends had abandoned me when I needed them the most. I just couldn't understand what their problem was!! Why did they leave me to suffer all alone? It was as if the sword of time had slashed our circle of friendship into pieces and scattered our hearts afar. Sure, we all still lived in the same city, but I felt so far away from them.

I brought my non-bloody hand to my face and started crying. Slowly, I sank to my knees and onto the cold, hard floor; the tears fell faster now, stinging my red-hot face and burning my cold heart. It was at that moment that I finally embraced a indeniable fact:

I was a failure. A plain loser who nobody cared about. I would never amount to anything in my life because I couldn't get over my sadness.

_Oh, well,_ I thought. _At least this can't get any worse._

I was wrong.

Because the moment that thought came to my head, I got the call.

The telephone started ringing. I was startled at first. Slowly, I got up and walked over to the table that the phone was on. I hesitated.

_Who could that be?_ I wondered. That could be anyone. Tea. Joey. Pegasus. Rebecca. Marik. Heck, maybe even Kaiba. But I didn't really feel like talking to anyone. Nobody would care about what I had to say. Nobody in the world...

_No_, I scolded myself. _I have to put my life back together. Talking is the first step to healing. It's like when we helped the Pharoah beat Zorc. Everyone needs help sometimes._

I reached for the phone with my trembling hand. I put the phone to my ear. "Um..hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Yugi Muto. Feeling a bit down?"

**To be continued**


	5. A Girl with a Purpose

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts

Previously:

_The telephone started ringing. I was startled at first. Slowly, I got up and walked over to the table that the phone was on. I hesitated._

_Who could that be? I wondered. That could be anyone. Tea. Joey. Pegasus. Rebecca. Marik. Heck, maybe even Kaiba. But I didn't really feel like talking to anyone. Nobody would care about what I had to say. Nobody in the world..._

_No, I scolded myself. I have to put my life back together. Talking is the first step to healing. It's like when we helped the Pharoah beat Zorc. Everyone needs help sometimes._

_I reached for the phone with my trembling hand. I put the phone to my ear. "Um..hello?" I asked._

_"Hello, Yugi Muto. Feeling a bit down?"_

* * *

A Girl with a Purpose

I was frozen for a moment, unable to move or utter a word. Slowly, I managed to keep a stead hold on the phone. "W...what? Who is this?" My voice was shaky and uncertain.

"Oh, nobody. Just a nobody calling for no apparent reason." The caller was apparently female. Her voice was soft and innocent, yet I could sense a strong sense of conviction and maturity in it.

I managed to compose myself as I asked my next question. "Then why did you call me?"

The girl giggled. This freaked me out a bit. "Can't a person call just to say hello? Just to exchange a friendly exchange with someone they've never met?" She said this in a playful tone, but I could tell that she was hinting at something a bit more complex.

This statement enraged me. I just assumed that she was another one of those pathetic people who kept demanding things from me. That's all anybody ever did to me, anyway.

Demand, demand, demand. That's all anybody was good for these days. Just ask my wife. I sacrificed so much for her, and all she did was demand that I give her half my earning to her. And she demanded that I hand our daughter to her. Honestly, you work hard for everybody, and this is how they repay you?

No; this girl was just like everybody else in my life that wasn't related to me. Selfish. Just plain selfish.

"Listen here, you little bitch!" I growled angrily. "Don't you play games with me! I know you want something from me! So spit it out already! Money? Cards? Sponsors?"

I was on a roll here. "Maybe you want an autograph so that you can brag about it to your friends and sell it on the internet for millions of dollars! Or better yet: maybe you want to face me in a duel? That MUST be it! I've met many lowlifes like you who think they have something to prove, but in reality..."

I paused for a moment, silently cheering at my apparent victory over this girl. Smirking, I delclared my next comment with as much malice as I could muster:

"In reality all you care about it fame and fortune! Living in the spotlight! Well, I got everything I wanted, and I lost it! Yes, that's right: I lost everything I ever cared about! My friends, my wife, my grandfather...EVERYTHING! Fame was never anything to me; they were! So tell me: why would you inquire about me?"

Panting to catch my breath, I wiped my sweaty forhead with my bloody hand, letting the red liquid trickle down my face and touch my dry lips. I licked my lips with pleasure.

That would show that skank to mess with Yugi Muto.

I thought that I was home free. But nothing would prepare me for what she had to say next.

"Who said I called you because I inquired about you?"

I was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

The girl spoke in a more dark and serious tone. "Everybody wants things in life. Even when you call someone just for the sake of calling them, you still want things."

Now she was not making any sense. "Like what?" I asked in a puzzled tone.

"Satisfaction. Company. Attachment. Happiness. Arent those the things that people eventually want in the end?"

I was silent for a while. I hated to admit it, but she was right.

"Isn't that what makes life what it is; a race against time?"

I was silent again. "I-"

"Then why is my idea of happiness being compared to your idea of what happiness means to others?"

_What was she getting at_, I wondered. I decided to ask her. "What are you-"

"Why did you jump to conclusions instead of allowing me to speak for myself?"

She had a point there. I did cut her off unnesssarily.

(W: That, and you called her the B-word and S-word.)

WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT?!

(W: [gulp] Sorry...)

Honestly, just when I was getting the hang of this...

Anyway, I began to speak.

"You see, I-"

"Didn't you use to be a kind and caring person who helped others but himself."

I gasped. How did she know all these things about me? It's like she was a psychic or something. Or maybe she was a stalker. I didn't really know. Either way, she was starting to get on my nerves.

"That boy doesn't exist anymore. I can't even remember a time when I was happy..."

I hung my head down in sadness, my hair overshadowing my eyes. A single tear fell from my blood stained face.

I was a complete wreck. A shadow of my former self. I had yelled and abused an innocent person for no fault of theirs; that's something I would have never done if the Pharoah had been around. He would know what to do.

More than anything, I wanted things to be the way they were. I wanted Tristan to still be alive. I wanted my friends back. I wanted my grandtather back.

But most importantly, I wanted my life back.

For a moment, I had forgotten that I still in the middle of a phone call. That was why I was startled and creeped out by the next question that the girl asked me:

"What would you say if I offered you a chance to be happy once more?"

It was so sudden, so out of the blue. But worst of all, it seemed to confirm my suspicions that this girl was a psychic. Or even worse...

She could be...a witch.

(W: That explains why she was so mean to you. She must have heard you call her a skank.)

I am going to advise you to keep your comments to yourself. If you do not, I will seriously-

(W: JUST IGNORE ME AND MOVE ON WITH THE STORY!! (taps pencil on head) Honestly, you are the most distracting narrator ever!)

Whatever...

The comment had gotten my attention, no doubt about it. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry, Yugi. I wish I had more time to explain. But I must be going. Meet me at the Domino Cafe at 2:30 this afternoon. I have a job for you. Do you accept?"

_A job?_ I thought. "I don't know; I have to pick up my daughter today at 3:00."

"Don't worry: it will only take about 10 minutes. Once again, do you accept?"

After about 10 minutes of pondering, I made my decision. "I accept."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing. Do you still believe in magic?"

Then she cut the line.

**To be continued**


	6. Enter: The White Witch, Namine!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts

Previously:

_The comment had gotten my attention, no doubt about it. "What did you say?"_

_"I'm sorry, Yugi. I wish I had more time to explain. But I must be going. Meet me at the Domino Cafe at 2:30 this afternoon. I have a job for you. Do you accept?"_

_A job? I thought. "I don't know; I have to pick up my daughter today at 3:00."_

_"Don't worry: it will only take about 10 minutes. Once again, do you accept?"_

_After about 10 minutes of pondering, I made my decision. "I accept."_

_"Good. Oh, and one more thing. Do you still believe in magic?"_

_Then she cut the line._

* * *

Enter: The White Witch, Namine

Magic?

Why would she ask me if I believed in magic?

That just didn't make any sense.

What was even stranger was that she knew all of these things about me. Who was this girl? And why did she care so much about my life?

If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that she was just another villain who was trying to take over the world. But then I thought about it.

What are the odds of that? A sweet, innocent little girl being a villain? The whole thing was just unbelievable.

I shook my head. Maybe I was just being paranoid again. But now that I thought about it, when was I not paranoid?.

I started to pace around the now-shattered counter, wondering what I should do.

After 10 or so minutes, I made up my mind. I would go see this girl for just 10 minutes, and then leave. No questions asked.

"Heh; what's the worst that could happen?"

Also, I was curious as to what this job would be. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she mentioned magic...

* * *

**Realm of Darkness, Present Day**

Yugi sighed and put his cup of tea down. "I never thought telling a story involved so much hard work."

The sky had returned to its original purple-black color, and the fire was bigger now. The Wanderer put his pencil and notebook down, then got up and started stretching his arms. "You've been traumatized by your misfortunes in this world; I'd be suprised if this wasn't hard for you."

Yugi put his head down and sighed again. "So what do you think so far?"

The Wanderer sat across from Yugi with the fire facing him. "Well, it seems like you're not able to let go of the past, which is a very common thing in people who have lost their hearts to darkness. But there's one thing I don't understand."

Yugi lifted his head up. "What's that?"

"Why do you constantly blame everyone else for your problems and just expect them to make you happy?"

"W..What?"

"It seems to me like you're being the selfish one here. People change over time, and you just have to accept that."

Yugi shook his head. "I just wanted life to be the way it was before the Pharoah left. I don't know..."

The Wanderer. "Well, you should probably continue. We don't exactly have unlimited time, if you know what I mean."

Yugi nodded. "I do."

* * *

Three hours later, I was at the cafe, sipping a warm cup of coffee. It was 2:40, and I was starting to get impatient. "Come on! Hurry up already!"

The black-haired waitress rushed over to where I was sitting by the window. "Can I help you with something, sir."

I shook my head. "No. Now get lost."

The waitress scoffed and walked off in a huff. "The nerve of some people," I could hear her mutter under her breath.

Not like I cared anymore. Being nice was for sissies.

"That's no way to talk to women, Yugi. But then again, I shouldn't be suprised."

I turned around to see a blond-haired girl, standing in front of me. The girl was wearing a short white dress that didn't even reach her knees. I felt like she was a whore, at first, but her childish facial features and her beautiful blue eyes convinced me otherwise. And man, where those eyes beautiful. I almost wanted to sink into them, but my instincts knew that she was the witch who called me eariler.

And I didn't like the witch.

Not one bit.

The witch smiled innocently. "Aren't you going to ask me to sit down, Yugi?"

I growled. "Fine, whatever. Sit down." And she did just that.

"Well, you're nothing like I thought you would be."

"Looks are not always what the semm, Yugi Muto."

"So what's your name."

The girl put a hand through her hair and blew a kiss at me. "My name is Namine. How are you?" She held out her hand.

I immediately blushed at her sudden move. Sweat-dropping, I shook her hand, then asked her what she wanted me to do.

Namine put her hands up in defense. "Patience, patience. You truly are a workaholic, aren't you?"

Okay, enough was enough. I had to know how she knew all these things about me. "How do you know all these things about me? And what do you want?"

Namine ignored my first question and answered my second. "How soon you forget. Remember what I said on the phone? I already told you what I wanted."

"Yes, yes! I know that! But what is the job?!"

Namine pulled out a picture and placed it face-down on the table. "Have you heard of Duel Academy?"

I nodded. "Of course. It's only one of the best-know dueling schools in the world. It was created by Seto Kaiba and has some of the best duelists the world has ever known."

But what I didn't tell Namine was that I knew one of the students on a more personal level.

Jaden Yuki.

I remember dueling him a long time ago, when I sent him back in time to duel a younger version of myself and the Pharoah. That kid was truly something. I could sense in him a sense of pride and courage, something I used to have a long time ago.

But that was before the chaos happened. Before my life shattered before my very eyes.

I'm sure Namine would bring up Jaden as well. I just knew it.

But she didn't. Instead, she continued. "Well, what you don't know is that there is an Abandoned Dorm on the edge of the Island."

Now that caught my attention. "Abandoned what now?"

"Abandoned Dorm. It's well-known that many students disappeared in that dorm, and have never come back. The dorm is rumored to have mystical shadow powers that turn people evil. But now there is a new rumor that there may be an Egyptian tablet that has the picture of a lengendary monster. This monster is said to have powers even greater than that of the Egyptian God Cards!"

Power greater than...the God cards?

I began to laugh. People started to notice, but I didn't care. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Power greater than the Egyptian God Cards? That's just rich!!"

Namine shook her head. "No, Yugi. This legend may in fact be true. What I want you to do is-"

"Oh, wait! Don't tell me! You want me to go to the Abandoned Dorm and steal this tablet so you can make a card and sell it for money?" I chuckled, then reverted to my serious nature. "Don't make me laugh. I'm not going to risk going to jail just to help you get a stupid rock. Now quit wasting my time."

As I got up and started to leave, I heard three chilling words that stopped me dead in my tracks. Three words that started this terrible journey.

"We have her."

**To be continued**


	7. Mission in the Abandoned Dorm

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts

Previously:

_Power greater than...the God cards?_

_I began to laugh. People started to notice, but I didn't care. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Power greater than the Egyptian God Cards? That's just rich!!"_

_Namine shook her head. "No, Yugi. This legend may in fact be true. What I want you to do is-"_

_"Oh, wait! Don't tell me! You want me to go to the Abandoned Dorm and steal this tablet so you can make a card and sell it for money?" I chuckled, then reverted to my serious nature. "Don't make me laugh. I'm not going to risk going to jail just to help you get a stupid rock. Now quit wasting my time."_

_As I got up and started to leave, I heard three chilling words that stopped me dead in my tracks. Three words that started this terrible journey._

_"We have her."_

* * *

Mission in the Abandoned Dorm

We...have her?

_Please, god,_ I thought to myself. _Don't let this be what I think it is._

Namine got out of her seat. "Your daughter will not be returning home with you today," she spoke in a calm and collected voice. "We have picked her up for you. She is in a better place."

Oh.

My.

God.

I walked over to where Namine was and slapped her across her cheek. "YOU BITCH! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

Then an evil smile crept upon Namine's innocent face. It was a very frightening sight, seeing a teenage girl with so much malice and evil upon her face.

"Don't worry, Yugi; that's not what I meant. She is in good hands with me. In fact, she's a lot better now that she's not with a terrible father like myself."

Usually, when someone insulted my parenting, they would have been bleeding on the floor right about now. But this time, I was consumed by fear over what had happened to my little girl to even move a muscle, let alone strangle this evil witch for kidnapping my daughter.

"What did you just say?!" I managed to bark at her.

Just as I was preparing to slap her again, Namine stopped my hand by clutching my wrist in a tight grip.

"Don't try it. With every moment that passes, your daughter still remains trapped against her will. So...do we have a deal?" With her free hand, she took a piece of paper from her back pocket - don't ask me how that dress had a back pocket; I don't know either- and held it in front of my face.

I was silent for a moment, still trying to process what had just happened. My daughter had been kidnapped, this girl was responsible, and I was caught in a deadly situation. Should I trust this girl and give in to her sick game, or should I involve the police.

"By the way, if you try to involve the police...well, let's just say you won't have to worry about your future anymore."

A look of horror came on my face as I began to realize what she meant.

I had no choice.

I had to go by her rules.

Without speaking, I took the slip of paper and put it in my pocket. My head was hanging down in defeat; my hair overshadowed my eyes.

Namine smiled sweetly. Seriously, this girl had really fast mood swings. "That's a good baby! Be at Domino Airport at 7:00. The instructions will tell you what to do. Bye, dear." She walked out of the cafe, humming "Burnin' Up" by the Jonas Brothers while snapping her fingers.

I hated their songs.

_To hell with those weirdos!_ I thought. _I have to save Sarah! _As I started to head for the door, I heard someone call out to me.

"Sir, you forgot your coffee."

A blue-haired boy was standing in front of me. He was dressed in a yellow jacket and black pants, and he wore glasses. The boy was holding my coffee in front of me.

I took the mug from him. Nicely, of course. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Say, aren't you Yugi Muto?"

I nodded. "Yes. Can I help you?"

The boy held out a piece of paper and a pen. "Can I have your autograph?"

Sigh. Sometimes I hated my fans; they always came whenever I was stuck in a dangerous situation. I reluctantly gave him the autograph and then proceeded to leave.

"Bye, Yugi!"

I hoped he didn't notice that I had signed the paper as "Seto Kaiba".

What? I was in a hurry.

* * *

7:00.

Domino Airport.

I was here.

The paper had told me to wait at the runway; a helipocter would come to pick me up in about 5 minutes.

I wasn't dressed in my traditional outfit this time. I was wearing my black outfit that I wore when I played Dungeon Dice Monsters with Duke Devlin. I just waited there in the cold, dark night, feeling like a dark knight.

No pun intended.

Also, my Duel Disk was fastened to my arm. That was also in the instructions; bring your Duel Disk and cards. "What a liar, " I had said at the time. "She did want a duel."

Still, there was no way of knowing if she wanted to duel. Even so, there was no chance of her even winning. So I thought I would just go with it. It's not like a had a choice anyway.

Eventually, the helicopter arrived. I quickly got in the copter, without speaking to the pilot, and then we took off.

As soon as I got in, I took the letter out of my back pocket and opened it up. There was still a portion that I hadn't read. Since the ride to Duel Academy would take a while, there would be enough time to read it. I opened up the letter and began reading:

_Once you arrive at Duel Academy, go to the Abandoned Dorm. There will be a bag of supplies available in the helicopter that will help you get past security. Be careful not to let anyone spot you. If you are caught, I will NOT HELP YOU IN ANY WAY. If I do that, I'll have to tell the police what I did. You can figure out the rest._

_Love,  
Namine_

Well, I had a feeling that I would be in on this alone. I put my head against the seat and sighed. "Perfect. Well, at least she's not like Bakura."

I didn't know exactly how long the ride took, but we reached the Academy Docks. I took Namine's bag from under my seat, and left the copter. After watching the chopper leave, I proceeded to open the bag.

Inside was a flashlight, a gun, a , and...a box of corned-beef sandwiches?

Okay, I understood the flashlight and the gun, but sandwiches? Was this some kind of joke? How the hell was this supposed to help me get past security?!

I slid my hand across my face.

_I am so doomed,_ I thought.

* * *

As I made my way across the docks and towards the Abandoned Dorm, I didn't see any trouble. I made sure to move slowly and easy. The moon gleamed brightly over me, and the ominous hoots from the owls filled me with dread and despair. I gulped. I knew that if I made one wrong move, I was dead meat. My career would be over, and my daughter...

That's the only reason I even agreed to do this crime. And to think, all of this madness had been enacted by a teenage girl? And to top it off, a witch?

I shook my head and pushed the thought out of my head. Now was not the time to think about that. He had a job to do, and he had to get it done fast.

But before I could move another step, I heard a loud voice declare:

"Drop the bag and put your hands where I can see them!!" A campus officer was pointing at me with his flashlight in his right hand, and a gun in the other.

Busted.

I turned around, the light blinding my eyes. Without thinking, I opened the bag and attempted to pull out the gun.

BANG!!

A bullet hit my right hand before it entered the bag. "GYAHHHH!" I howled in pain and fell to the ground, holding my hand and shriveling in pain.

The officer reached his hand into the bag and pulled out the gun. "Tisk tisk. Possession of an illegal firearm, tresspassing on academy grounds. Someone's been a bad boy. Let's see what the Chancellor has to say about this." Just as he was about to reach for his radio to call for backup, he noticed something that caught his eye.

The box of sandwiches was sticking out of the bag, inviting the officer with its aroma. The officer licked his lips. "Mmm...looks like I scored big time tonight! Sandwiches AND a prisoner? This is too good to be true!"

"You couldn't be more right!"

I swept myself off the ground and jumped in the air, kicking the officer in the face. Then, before he could get up, I grabbed the box of sandwiches with my uninjured hand and held it close to my chest. The officer pulled himself back on his feet. Then he pointed both guns at me; the flashlight was discarded.

"Grr...so, you wanna play rough, wise guy? Well, say hello to my little friends!!" And he prepared to fire...

"WAIT!!" I exclaimed. "If you shoot, then the sandwiches go with me!" I waved the sandwiches in front of him. "You want the sandwiches? Give me the guns and you can have them."

Well, that explains why she gave me sandwiches. Good old Namine. The officer relented immediately; he threw the guns to my feet, and I handed him the sandwiches. A smirk creeped up opon the officer's face. "Tonight never happened. I didn't see you. But if you get caught; don't expect me to bail you out." With that, he left, proceeding to eat one of the sandwiches as he walked away.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that was over."

But the hard part was yet to come. I was over 20 minutes away from the dorm, and there were probably still guards around patrolling the area. Worse of all, there were no more sandwiches to bribe them with.

Those were the worst 20 minutes of my life. At least, before I reached the dorm...

**20 minutes later**

Fortunately, I was very careful not to run into any obstacles. I reached the dorm, gaping at what I saw.

The dorm looked like it hadn't been lived in for years. It was dark and shabby, and the gate was broken. I would have taken more time to look at detailed characteristics of this dorm, but at the time all I cared about was the retrival of the tablet and getting my daughter. If I had been more alert, I would have known that some people had been following me. But that will be explained later.

I took out my flashlight and turned it on. Cautiously, I walked towards the door. It was at that point that I should have backed away and turned now. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. If I had, I would never even have heard of this world that I am now imprisoned in. If only I had been more dilligent...

The second I entered the establishment, the doors slammed shut behind me. I panicked. "Help! Help me!" I started banging the door, hoping somebody would help. "Get me out of here!"

"Your screams are futile, Yugi Muto. No one can save you now."

I jumped and turned around to see Namine standing in front of me. It should have occured to me then that she was playing me the whole time. But at that moment, I didn't get it.

"Namine? What are you doing here? I'm supposed to get the tablet you asked me to get."

Namine sighed. "Oh, Yugi. You naive, simple boy. You just don't get it, do you. There is no tablet."

Of course. I had a feeling.

"I tricked you into coming here so that you would see the truth. About your destiny."

I blinked. "My...destiny?"

Namine nodded. "Yes, Yugi. You are destined for great things in your life. You have been chosen for something truly extraordinary. Something only a true hero can be chosen for."

"And what's that?"

She ignored my comment and continued. "But if you wish to choose this heavy responsibility, there is something you must do first."

"You must...DEFEAT ME IN A DUEL!!"

Suddenly, a Duel-Disk that seemingly came out of nowhere appeared on her arm. She drew a card - which was revealed to be Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!

At once, the image of a warrior in golden-clad armor appeared in front of me, raising a sword in his hand.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The very monster that I had scoured the world to obtain was staring me in the face. I sank to the ground in awe of this magnificent card. "It...cannot be. How did you-"

"This isn't my monster, Yugi. It's yours."

My look of awe was replaced with a confused one. "What?" I took out my deck and scanned my cards quickly. No BLS Envoy.

"That's impossible! I thought for sure I put that card in my-"

Namine chuckled. "It seems your cards aren't as loyal as you think they are, Yugi." Then she spoke in a serious tone. "Look at yourself. You have become a selfish, inconsiderate person who would rather sacrifice his monsters than lose to someone."

"That's a LIE!!" I yelled indignantly. I would never do that! My cards are everything to me! EVERYTHING! They're all I have left." Tears fell from my cheek as I muttered that last line.

"Is that so? Then how about you see how truthful those words truly are when you face me in a duel? Now...prepare to be sent to a place so gruesome, so terrifying, so mysterious, that you will lose everything you have and be reborn! YUGI! I will be the one to vanquish your evil soul away forever, where nobody will be hurt by you ever again!"

Black Luster Solder began to glow brightly. Then, he raised his sword and pointed it at the sky. At once, a piercing white light consumed me. The last thing I remember, I was screaming very loudly, my body was being stretched beyond its limits and I felt as if the world itself was spiraling out of control...

**To be continued**


	8. The Envoy Duel

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts

Previously:

_Suddenly, a Duel-Disk that seemingly came out of nowhere appeared on her arm. She drew a card - which was revealed to be Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!_

_At once, the image of a warrior in golden-clad armor appeared in front of me, raising a sword in his hand._

_I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The very monster that I had scoured the world to obtain was staring me in the face. I sank to the ground in awe of this magnificent card. "It...cannot be. How did you-"_

_"This isn't my monster, Yugi. It's yours."_

_My look of awe was replaced with a confused one. "What?" I took out my deck and scanned my cards quickly. No BLS Envoy._

_"That's impossible! I thought for sure I put that card in my-"_

_Namine chuckled. "It seems your cards aren't as loyal as you think they are, Yugi." Then she spoke in a serious tone. "Look at yourself. You have become a selfish, inconsiderate person who would rather sacrifice his monsters than lose to someone."_

_"That's a LIE!!" I yelled indignantly. I would never do that! My cards are everything to me! EVERYTHING! They're all I have left." Tears fell from my cheek as I muttered that last line._

_"Is that so? Then how about you see how truthful those words truly are when you face me in a duel? Now...prepare to be sent to a place so gruesome, so terrifying, so mysterious, that you will lose everything you have and be reborn! YUGI! I will be the one to vanquish your evil soul away forever, where nobody will be hurt by you ever again!"_

_Black Luster Solder began to glow brightly. Then, he raised his sword and pointed it at the sky. At once, a piercing white light consumed me. The last thing I remember, I was screaming very loudly, my body was being stretched beyond its limits and I felt as if the world itself was spiraling out of control..._

**

* * *

**

The Envoy Duel

After that, my memory is pretty fuzzy. I don't remember much of what happened after that.

That light. It just...pierced my head as if it were made of foil or something. All I remember was that I was in a duel with the witch, and then after that, I...

I...

**Present Day**

The Wanderer put a hand on Yugi's shoulder and patted it. "There, there. It's okay."

Yugi shook his head. "No, it's not. This was never even supposed to happen." He buried his hands in his face and started to sob. "I should be at home, with my daughter, playing hide-and seek with her. And taking her to the park." Tears started flowing from his cheeks like a waterfall. "I want my Sarah back..." Unable to compose himself any longer, the tear-stricken Yugi collapsed on the ground.

_Poor guy_, the Wanderer thought. It was at times like these that he wondered why he still did what he did. And every time he had to keep reminding himself: this was who he was. If he did not help the innocent, then who else could?

Who else would?

"I'm sorry. I can't help you anymore." After regaining his composure, Yugi stood up and lifted his head up to the sky. "I just want this madness to come to an end."

"Don't say that Yugi!" The Wanderer got up to Yugi's eye level. "You have to be strong! Didn't you promise me you would? I know this is hard, but remember: nobody else has to go what you went through. They can learn through your errors!" He put a hand to his bandages. "Believe me; I've learned a lot from people like you. I've seen people destroy themselves by drugs and violence, abusing theirselves and wasting their lives away. I've seen more pain and misery in this world that no person- man or woman- should be forced to see. But I had to endure it all. Because I had to. Because I had to carry their stories on after they died, so that they could remain eternal forever."

"So please!" He exclaimed as he walked closer to Yugi. "Don't shrivel up in fear and just die away! Don't let the darkness win! You can still make a difference. It is never too late to make the right choice." He picked up his pencil and held it close to his heart. "I was chosen for my task, when I could have used my powers for destruction and hate; to punish the world for all the pain it caused me. But that doesn't mean that-"

"It's not that." Yugi turned away.

The Wanderer squinted his eyes and looked at Yugi, with confusion in his eyes. "Then what is it?"

"It's just that I can't remember anything. No matter how hard I try, I just can't remember what happened to me after I was blinded by that light. Maybe it's just that I've been in this realm so long that I'm forgetting who I was. Slowly, I'm losing myself to darkness. And maybe it will never stop."

The Wanderer smiled and shook his head. "Yes it can. You can never lose yourself if you have a strong will and determination. Here; maybe this will help."

He picked up his pencil and notebook, then walked to where Yugi was, so that he was facing his front. Then he did something unexpected: he took the pencil and pointed the sharp tip on the side of Yugi's head.

"OW!" Yugi was angry and puzzled at first. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"

"Shhh! Relax..." The Wanderer was calmer than usual. It was sort of eerie to Yugi. The Wanderer's voice became more quieter, almost in an angelic sort of way. Then he began chanting:

"**I call upon the people of the stars! Grant me powers from afar! Arouse the slumber of the sacred beast, so that pain and suffering shall cease! With the Tools of the Creator of All, light shall rise and darkness shall fall! I call upon... THE POWER OF ESSENCE!!"**

Then Yugi noticed something extraordinary begin to take place. A white aura started to form around the Wanderer, growing exponentially by the second. Then the Wanderer started screaming at the top of his lungs. At once, the aura lifted from his body and started gathering into one. It started to mold into a more solid form, as it swirled around in the air in a giant circle. When it was finished, Yugi almost gaped at the resulting substance: a shapeless mass of white energy that just hovered around in one place.

"Hmmm..." Yugi wondered. "Where have I seen that before?"

"This substance is what is known as Essence. You may find it familiar because it has the same appearance as the substance shown on the card Ectoplasmer. Coincidence? You wish."

The Essence then split into two parts. One part headed for the pencil in the Wanderer's hand, and the other headed for the Notebook nestled safely in his arm. The Essence fused into the two items, and they both started glowing with a white aura, the same one that the Wanderer had been glowing with earlier.

Yugi was awestruck. "That is amazing? You have powers?"

The Wanderer nodded. "That is correct. With the power of the Essence, I can do anything. You see, the Essence is the creative force that resides in all living things. Like energy, Essence is neither created nor destroyed; it is simply passed on from one living thing to the next. It even exists in Duel Monsters; that's why it has a similar appearance to ectoplasm. "

"But I've wasted enough time. My real purpose is to find the memory you can't remember. So let's get a move on."

The Wanderer eyes then glowed white, as he searched for the memory he was looking for. When he finally found it, he removed the pencil from Yugi's head. A white strand of Essence began pouring out of Yugi's head and followed the tip of the pencil. Then the Wanderer opened the Notebook to where he had left off and allowed the pencil to hit the paper head-on. He then began to write feverishly, writing page after page, without a single moment wasted.

A blank look appeared on Yugi's face. "What did you just do?"

But the bandaged man did not reply. In fact, he did not even acknowledge the other man's existance. He just continued writing, not stopping whatsoever.

When the Wanderer was finished, his eyes reverted back to their usual color. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"I took your memory away and put it in my Notebook. Now take this," he said as he handed the Notebook to Yugi, "and read everything you see on the paper. This is the duel that happened between you and Namine in its entirety. And one more note: I am able to take memories from people you have a connection with, such as family, friends and villans. All you have to do is mention their names, and when I write them down, I can show you selected memories at any time. Do you want to read that first? Or would you rather show me a memory of a loved one?"

Yugi shook his head. "Not yet. Let me just read this first."

The Wanderer nodded. "I understand. Proceed."

Yugi opened to the first page and began reading...

* * *

_Ugh...Where am I?_

As I started to regain consciousness, I realized that something wasn't right here. The setting had changed considerably. Instead of lying on the cold, dark surface of the Abandoned Dorm, I instead found myself sprawled over a white marble floor. After I regained my eyesight, I got up and almost gaped at what I noticed before me:

I was standing in a white room in an unknown place.

Hmm...no. That wasn't the right word to describe it. It felt more like a hallway of sorts. A white hallway in an unknown place. Yes. That was more accurate.

I turned around, scanning my surroundings more closely. There was a golden door behind me, but it appeared to be locked. Great. My only escape out of this strange place was locked.

Then again, this was nothing compared to all the crap that I've been through. But then again, I've never exactly had my daughter kidnapped by a teenage witch, been forced to go to a school of teenagers who were being taught how to play a children's card game properly just to go to a haunted-mansion-like dorm where a bunch of kids disappeared and rescue a mystical artifact that somehow found its way into a part of civilization that wasn't a musuem or an art gallery, only to be trapped by that same witch who was somehow able to use one of my own cards to transport me to this white hallway by blinding me with a white light.

Welcome to the bizzare and creepy world of Yugi Muto. Please slap yourself in the face on the way out.

I put a hand to my forhead and sighed, trying to remember what exactly had happened to me earlier. Then it came back to me:

Namine.

Card.

Sarah.

Duel.

Danger.

Then I noticed a staircase staring me in the face. "At last! I'm free!" Without thinking, I sprinted across the hallway towards the only beacon of hope left.

Of course, as I've learned over the years, nothing is as easy as you think it is.

A dark portal appeared on the top step, and Namine emerged from it, a smile on her face.

"You'd think you would be, right? Well, it seems that God isn't on your side after all."

I was enraged. I had had ENOUGH of this girl's taunts. "Where am I? And why am I here?"

Namine shook her head. "Still haven't learned manners, I see. No matter; it's not like it makes a difference any more."

"What do you mean?"

Namine spread her arms out wide. "Welcome to Castle Oblivion, where to find is to lose and to lose is to find. You'll not leave this place as your were, Yugi."

I growled and activated my Duel Disk. "Well, you're not gonna leave this place alive!!" I drew a card and placed it on my Duel Disk. "Come forth: Dark Magician! (2500/2100)"

At once, my trademark monster appeared in the sky, twirling his staff above his head, and subsequently pointing it at Namine's heart. "Hit her with Dark Magic Attack!!"

Dark Magician was about to charge his familiar attack, but just as soon as the ball of energy began forming, it vanished.

"Wh..What?" I took a few steps back, shocked at what had just happened. "How can this be?!"

"I should think it's obvious. The minute you set into this castle, your monsters forgot every spell and ability they knew." Namine's Duel Disk reemerged on her arm and activated. "And the only way to reclaim their power is to accept a ritual."

I was confused at first. "Ritual?"

"A ritual," she continued, "that will not only test your strength as a duelist, but also serve as a test of your character. It will be a challenging fight that will push you to your limts; you will find yourself doing things that you never dreamed of doing. Your deck will be shaken to its core, and you'll find yourself relying on just more than your Heart of the Cards mumbo-jumbo. If it comes down to it...you may end up sacrificing your own soul for victory."

"And what exactly is this ritual called?"

"I thought you'd never ask. You will participate in the ritual known as the Envoy Duel, a clash between light and darkness to see which is truly worthy. Should you achieve true victory, you will be considered worthy, and I'll let you go."

I smirked. "So all I have to do is win? That sounds easy enough. Let's do it."

"It's time to duel," we declared.

Both of our Life Points were set at 8000. I chose to go first.

"My move!" I drew my card. "I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in Attack Mode!" My elf swordsman appeared in a battle stance, ready for action. "I end my turn."

"Good! Then I draw!" Namine smiled. "Now I activate Future Fusion! When I activate this card, I select one Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck, then send the Fusion-Material Monsters to the Graveyard. After 2 turns, the monster is then summoned. Then this card stays on the field; if it is removed from the field, the monster is destroyed. But I'm not too worried about that."

I grimaced. "This doesn't look good."

"I choose Cyberdark Dragon. And I send Cyberdark Keel, Cyberdark Edge and Cyberdark Horn to the graveyard." She took the three aforementioned cards and placed them in the Graveyard. Then Namine played her next card. "Behold my Graceful Charity! Now I draw three cards and discard two." After she drew and discarded, she placed two cards face down. "Now I summon Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in Attack Mode!" An angelic monster with the appearance of a spinning top entered the playing field. "Now attack his monster! Spinning Top of Destruction!"

Bountiful Artemis started spinning around and around, heading straight for my monster. My Guardian was impaled by the Fairy-type monster's sharp wings and was sliced into two before being destroyed.

"No! My guardian!" I yelled in despair as my Life Points went down to 7800. "You'll pay for that!"

"I'm sure I will," Namine said in a bored tone. "That ends my turn."

I drew my next card with haste. _Oh, no,_ I thought. _I don't have a single powerful monster to summon. Guess I better stall for time. _"I place two cards face-down. That's all."

"How pathetic, Yugi. And to think they actually call you the King of Games?" Namine shook her head. "You couldn't even get a single monster on the field. That's just sad."

"I'm NOT PATHETIC! I JUST GOT A BAD HAND, THAT'S ALL!"

"Whatever." She drew her next card. "Artemis, attack his Life Points directly!" Bountiful Artemis beganto spin towards Yugi...

At that point, one of my face downs went face up. "Not so fast! I activate the Trap Card, Zero Gravity! Now your monster goes to Defense Position!" Sure enough, the top monster covered itself with its wings and crouched down in front of Namine. "Looks to me like you're done!"

"Not so fast! I play one card face down. NOW I'm done." Namine did a curtsy and smiled sweetly.

God, was that girl pretty. I almost wanted to-

I instantly slapped myself back to reality. I had to get my head straight if I wanted to win. "My turn." I drew. "I pass. There's nothing I can do." I ended my turn. There was nothing in my hand that I could play. It seemed like I was going to lose after all.

Then Namine drew. "My move. And do you know what time it is? It's time for my Cyberdark Dragon (1000/1000) to take the stage! Arise, my monster!"

At once, a hideous machine-like dragon rose above Namine and let out a ferocious yowl. The yowl was so powerful that it unleashed a powerful gust of wind that almost blew me off my feet.

"Like it? Then you're gonna love this! You see, for each monster card in my graveyard, my Cyberdark Dragon gains an additional 100 ATK!" Cyberdark Dragon's attack immediately shot up to 1400. "Now attack, my monster!"

I smirked again. "Not so fast! Again! Reveal Spellbinding Circle! Now I'm gonna trap your monster and prevent it from attacking me!" A magic circle emerged out of nowhere and clung itself onto Cyberdark Dragon's neck.

"I won't let you do that! I play the Spell card Mystik Wok! Now I can Tribute my monster and gain Life Points equal to its ATK or DEF. And I choose his attack points!"

Cyberdark Dragon disappeared from the field, and so did my Spellbinding Circle. However, my namesake card remained on the field meaninglessly, while Namine's Life Points rose up to 9400. "Now my Bountiful Artemis attacks! Spinning Top of Destruction!"

Bountiful Artemis started spinning towards me again, when I put my hand in front of my face and declared: "I got three words for you, Namine. Ain't. Gonna. Happen."

I sent a card from my hand to the graveyard. "By discarding Kuriboh, I can make all Battle Damage from one attack go down to 0!"

A brown fuzz-ball shaped monsters appeared in front of me, blocking me from Bountiful Artemis's attack.

I sighed. "Guess it's my turn, then. I draw." I smiled at the card I had just drawn. "I may not be able to beat you yet, but your Artemis is going down!" You see, I had it all figured out. The card I had drawn was Premature Burial. If I played this card now, it would let me summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guard back to the field in Attack Position. Then, I could use the Black Pendant card in my hand to power up my monster by 500 points, enough for him to crush that Bountiful Artemis and put a dent in her Life Points. After that, it would be difficult for her to summon a monster to destroy my monster. Obnoxious Celtic Guard couldn't be destroyed in battle by monsters with an ATK of 1900 or more. And since my Guard's power would be 1900, there wouldn't be a single monster in her deck that could send her to the graveyard. This could help me stall her until I drew the right cards to help me get the upper hand. It was the perfect start to the perfect victory.

Or so I thought.

"I activate Premature Burial!" Even though my Life Points went down to 7000, I was still smiling. "By paying 800 of my Life Points, I can summon one monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position! So come forth, my-"

"Hold it right there, hot shot! I activate Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate your card and destroy it!" I watched in horror as my card was destroyed, along with my hopes of winning this duel. Then I noticed something strage happen.

Bountiful Artemis began glowing very brightly. "What's going on?"

"That's just the ability of my Bountiful Artemis! When someone plays a Counter Trap Card, I draw one card!" A card appeared in Bountiful Artemis's hand, and he flung it at Namine, which she happily caught. "That ends your turn. And now my turn has begun. And along with it, so has begun the end of you..."

Namine drew. She chuckled. "Well, well. I think my monster has waited long enough to attack you. So let's get on with it! Bountiful Artemis, attack with Spinning Top of Destruction!! And this time, you've got nothing to protect you!"

Bountiful Artemis resumed its trademark spinning move and knocked me to the ground, as my Life Points went down to 5400. Then he jumped into the sky and started pounding into my stomach with its large top. I yelled at the top of my lungs. The pain was too much to bear. It was almost like I had been hit by a thousand jackhammers at once.

I slowly rose up, clutching my stomach as I did so. After a while, I moved my hands away from my stomach and resumed my original stance. "Is that all you got," I managed to force out of my throat.

"No, Yugi. This is just the beginning. Now I set one monster on the field and activate Monster Reincarnation. By discarding one card, I can bring a Monster card back to my hand. And I choose...Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin (2300/2000)!"

I gulped. Great. Now she had a powerful monster in her hand that she could potentially summon next turn. "Now I end my turn."

I drew my card, hoping it would be a good one. "I draw." I closed my eyes as I held the card face-up in front me. I wanted more than anything for the heart of the cards to guide me one last time. Slowly, I opened my eyes...

**To be continued**


	9. Envoy of the Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. Also, I'm sorry I didn't update in a year. Writer's block and a busy year.

Previously

_"I activate Premature Burial!" Even though my Life Points went down to 7000, I was still smiling. "By paying 800 of my Life Points, I can summon one monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position! So come forth, my-"_

_"Hold it right there, hot shot! I activate Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate your card and destroy it!" I watched in horror as my card was destroyed, along with my hopes of winning this duel. Then I noticed something strage happen._

_Bountiful Artemis began glowing very brightly. "What's going on?"_

_"That's just the ability of my Bountiful Artemis! When someone plays a Counter Trap Card, I draw one card!" A card appeared in Bountiful Artemis's hand, and he flung it at Namine, which she happily caught. "That ends your turn. And now my turn has begun. And along with it, so has begun the end of you..."_

_Namine drew. She chuckled. "Well, well. I think my monster has waited long enough to attack you. So let's get on with it! Bountiful Artemis, attack with Spinning Top of Destruction!! And this time, you've got nothing to protect you!"_

_Bountiful Artemis resumed its trademark spinning move and knocked me to the ground, as my Life Points went down to 5400. Then he jumped into the sky and started pounding into my stomach with its large top. I yelled at the top of my lungs. The pain was too much to bear. It was almost like I had been hit by a thousand jackhammers at once._

_I slowly rose up, clutching my stomach as I did so. After a while, I moved my hands away from my stomach and resumed my original stance. "Is that all you got," I managed to force out of my throat._

_"No, Yugi. This is just the beginning. Now I set one monster on the field and activate Monster Reincarnation. By discarding one card, I can bring a Monster card back to my hand. And I choose...Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin (2300/2000)!"_

_I gulped. Great. Now she had a powerful monster in her hand that she could potentially summon next turn. "Now I end my turn."_

_I drew my card, hoping it would be a good one. "I draw." I closed my eyes as I held the card face-up in front me. I wanted more than anything for the heart of the cards to guide me one last time. Slowly, I opened my eyes..._

* * *

**Envoy of the Beginning: Victory leads to Chaos**

...and what I drew made me fill up with glee. I could not contain my excitment as the card quivered in my hand. It was Graceful Charity! Now everything was set in place! Finally, the bitch would pay for what she had done, and revenge would be mine. _She wanted to mock me? Well, I'll show her! I'll show her so bad that's she'll hurt and cry to mama!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

Sweat began to roll down my face, but I could care less. All that mattered was the luscious taste of revenge pouring down my throat, urging me to play the deadly card in my hand...

"Hello?! Sometime today, Mr. Thinker who Wets His Bed A Lot?!" _Go ahead, mock me all you want. I'll get you so bad, Namine._ I thought.

"I activate Graceful Charity!" A shining angel appeared behind me, floating with angel wings. "This card allows me to draw three cards, but only when I discard two! Take this!"

I triumphantly raised my hand in the air, and the angel gave me three cards. I discarded Watapon and Dark Magician from my hand by giving them to her. Before she dissapeared into my Graveyard, however, there was one signal she gave me that still haunts me to this very day...

She stared at me with an ominous glare and whispered to me, "You will pay, Yugi Muto. You will pay for your sins..."

I should have surrendered right then and there. I shouldn't have discarded my favorite card just to defeat Namine. But the strange thing about life is that the best lessons you learn are the ones that are learnt the hard way. Oh, how could I have been such a fool to miss something like that? Even after all I had been through, I still di-

But I didn't heed her advice. Biggest. Mistake. Of. My. Life. Theoretically, I should be in the sanitarium for talking to holograms. But this is a children's card game played in a magical castle that takes people's memories; what are you gonna do?

I looked at the three cards I had been given. My smirk grew even wider, and I could have sworn I felt drool trickling down my mouth. "Now for something really special, Namine," I declared. "Remember how you said this was an Envoy Duel, and how my monster would no longer serve me?"

Namine merely chucked. "I do not recall those exact words, but I got the jist of what you were saying. What about it?"

I began to laugh manaically. "Well, wouldn't it be a coincidence if the very monster you accused of no longer serving me AND the one you stole from me and gave back were the same monster? And..." As I said this, I began to hold the card in the sky, "wouldn't it be a bigger coincidence if that monster was the same one I'm going to play right now??!!!"

Namine's smirk vanished as quickly the sanity of the protagonist of "The Yellow Wallpaper" did when she locked the door on her husband. "No...you couldn't possibly-"

"But I am!! I remove my worthless Watapon and Dark Magician to summon... BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER, ENVOY OF THE BEGINNING (3000/2500)!!!"

The silhouettes of the aforementioned monsters appeared on the field. Dark Magician in particular seemed very sad, dissapointed, and angry at the same time, and when he looked at me, all he could do was cry silently.

But I was so blind that I did not see the tears in his eyes. All I saw was victory and Namine. Namine. Victory. Chaos. No hope.

He dissapeared, and so did Watapon. Then, a yellow portal appeared in the ceiling above us. Lightning emerged from the sky, but did not strike either of us. Wind currents flew around us, but did not break our hard stances.

Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning came from the portal, sword in one hand, shield in the other. His golden armor almost blinded me with its shine, and there was a stern look of rage and anger in his eyes. _Perfect. Perfect. Just perfect._

Namine began to quiver in her shoes, and nearly fell to her feet. "I..impossible. You can't play that card! You can't! You're not in control here! I am!"

I shook my head. "Don't doubt the heart of the cards!" I said in the most vain, irritable tone I could think of. "But don't hold your breath. I won't fall for any of your traps. I end my turn by playing Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" I did that. "Now I play 3 cards face down, and activate Black Pendant to increase my monster's ATK and DEF by 500!" BLS Envoy's Attack and Defense rose to 3500 and 3000 respectfully. "Your move."

Namine scowled and drew. "You may have the power of the Envoy, but I have an even greater power. The land of the fairies and the Archlord's land is perfect for a sinner like you, and I have the perfect monster to go with it! Now I activate the field spell The Sanctuary in the Sky!"

The white hallways of Castle Oblivion were quickly replaced with a floating castle in the sky. We were somehow standing on a floating cloud underneath the castle, until I realized that were still on solid ground; this was just a hologram.

But Namine wasn't done. "Now I sacrifice Bountiful Artemis and my face down monster to summon Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin!"

Her top monster and face down monster (revealed to be another Cyberdark Horn) vanished, but her new monster didn't appear out of thin air. Stunned, I asked her, "So where is this great monster of yours, huh?"

"I would watch your words if I were you! Look at the castle right behind me!" The doors slowly opened, and a burst of light came out of it. Both me and BLS Envoy covered our eyes, and when we opened them, I saw a monster with much armor, surrounded by rings and floating wings, carrying a spear in its right hand and a spear in its left.

"And guess what? He gains Attack Points equal to the difference between our Life Points when The Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field! So now his Attack Points are 6300!!"

But I wasn't scared. I began to laugh, in fact. My evil plan was coming along perfectly. "Not so fast! You fell into my trap! I play Ring of Destruction and Barrel Behind the Door!"

At once, a giant ring with bombs attacked to it latched itself on the Sky Paladin's neck. "With this bomb attached to your little fairy, he gets destroyed and we both lose life points equal to its Attack Points! But I won't be losing any points!"

A barrel appeared on the field, and I ducked behind it. "With this Counter Trap Card, you take the effect damage I would have taken from a card effect! Say goodbye, Namine!!"

Neo-Parshath exploded at once, and the explosion almost reached Namine when...

...the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon showed up under Namine's feet, raising her up to the height of the Sanctuary.

"WHAT?!" I could not believe it! The very monster that had defeated me long ago was in Namine's posession? More importantly, what was he doing there?

"Suprised, are you? That't the effect of my Fusion Guard Trap Card. It negated the damage of your Barrel and sent my BEUD to the Graveyard." The dragon growled at me in amusement. "You've been a good boy, Blue-Eyes." SHe stroked his middle head lovingly. The dragon then disappeared, allowing Namine to float down to the ground unharmed. "I love him so much..."

She giggled and regained her posture. "Of course, I still lost the original 6300 points, so now I only have 3100 LP. I end my turn."

This was it. The final chapter. The turn that would end this nonsense forever.

Or so I thought.

I drew my card and ordered my attack. "Now my trusted monster!! Destiny's eyes are gazing down upon the field. Your sword will bring everlasting justice to the wrongdoers, and your shield will protect the innocent from harm of this cruel, unforgiving witch. Attack with Sword of Light! Destroy Namine and the rest of her Life Points!!"

And that, my friend, was the last thing I completely remember before my mind went pitch black, and I was sent on a journey unlike any other...

**To be Continued**

**What happened to Yugi when he declared his attack? What is the Wanderer's response going to be? Why am I asking you all these questions**

**Read on, reviewers, for the next chapter in Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos!**


	10. Introduction: Aman, the Great Soul

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts**_

_Previously: _

_I drew my card and ordered my attack. "Now my trusted monster!! Destiny's eyes are gazing down upon the field. Your sword will bring everlasting justice to the wrongdoers, and your shield will protect the innocent from harm of this cruel, unforgiving witch. Attack with Sword of Light! Destroy Namine and the rest of her Life Points!!"_

_And that, my friend, was the last thing I completely remember before my mind went pitch black, and I was sent on a journey unlike any other..._

**Introduction: Aman, the Great Soul**

There was an old saying that the Wanderer had heard only one time in his life. "The worst enemy is not always what is in front of you. Sometimes, the worst enemy can be yourself." At the time he had heard it, he had been little more than 21 years old, and completely oblivious of the world around him.

He was a reckless man, always roaming around like an ignorant child, never heeding to the warnings given to him. There was not a day in his life that he did not regret that attitude he once possessed, and all the trouble it brought him later in life. Little did anyone realize, but he had been 21 his entire life and he had not grown at all since then…

A long time ago, when the world was created, an unknown force created the substance known as Essence, a magical creative force that resided in all living things. Every human, every plant, every animal, even all the bacteria and scum in the world, possessed a tiny bit of Essence. It was nothing, yet it still existed. Essence was very similar to energy; it could neither be created nor destroyed, and every time a being died, the Essence lived on by passing to other life forms, making them stronger and fueling them with more Essence, allowing it to grow and expand. A heart and a soul were all it needed to change shape, take a new form complete with a distinct personality, various emotions such as love, hate, anger, fear, and a beautiful mind, so it could think for itself. If one had a strong will and harnessed the power of his heart, removing himself from all connections of the world, including his friends, lover, children and family, they could channel the Essence from their body and use it to create life, or to destroy it. But no one has the power to do that. No one is truly capable of removing themselves from the chains of memories. Except one man.

The unknown force also created a powerful soul, one that was capable of harnessing the power of Essence to its true potential. Armed with special tools, one to collect the Essence, the other to destroy it, the soul would take the form of certain bodies, being reincarnated over large spans of time to collect the Essence for himself, until it would be used for a certain purpose.

This would happen 7 times. The soul was known as "Aman", a word that means peace. A quite fitting title, as the soul's life cycle would come to represent. As the soul traveled on Earth, it took different names and different purposes.

The first was "The Creator". He used the Essence to create the world, bringing life to the land and filling it with lush green and incredible creatures. He would live for about 1 millenium, stuck in immortality until the time would come when he was no longer needed and his purpose had been fulfilled. He was killed when the waters began to flood his land, and his sacrifice undid the damage the flood had created, reviving the humans, animals and plants, with the Essence in his body. But the Essence remained, and the soul passed on…

The second was "The Leader". He helped the misguided ones walk on the path of righteousness, when they started killing each other through war and stealing the riches of the land, to help them control the Essence inside them from tearing them apart. He would live for about 1 millennium, stuck in immortality until the time would come when he was no longer needed and his purpose had been fulfilled. He was killed when the people accused him of murdering a prince, who had secretly planned on killing the Leader in order to rule the world; however, The Leader killed him first, and when he was executed, his Essence helped revive the warriors slain in battle, and undid the destruction they had caused. But the Essence remained, and the soul passed on.

The third was "The Painter" He helped bring Essence to the people, through his mythical paintings and sculptures that allowed it to grow and take shape in them, so they could create life in the things they did. He would live for about 500 years, stuck in immortality until the time would come when he was no longer needed and his purpose had been fulfilled. He was killed out of greed, when two artists began to get jealous of his words and murdered him out of anger and rage, and when he died, people saw the beauty he created and used it to fuel their lives with love and spread his influence throughout the world. But the Essence remained, and the soul passed on.

The fourth was "The Conquistador". He helped a continent be discovered by the rest of the world, allowing its riches to be shared by the entire world, and so prosperity could be shared by everyone, staying on the continent in secrecy to ensure this purpose would be realized. He lived for about 300 years, stuck in immortality until the time would come when he was no longer needed and his purpose had been fulfilled. He would die naturally, when the continent had been recognized by the world and become a safe haven for all, making him the only one of the 7 to die that way. But the Essence remained, and the soul passed on.

The fifth was "The Watcher". He did not do much during his reign; he merely collected the Essence of those who had passed on, allowing the world to live on its own, without his assistance. He lived for about 300 years, stuck in immortality until the time would come when he was no longer needed and his purpose had been fulfilled. The world slowly began to crumble under his feet, and he painfully watched as the humans killed each other and the world, allowing disease to plague the land and themselves, destroying all the Essence had created. But he could not do anything to stop it, as his destiny was written to not do anything until his next birth. He died by means of disease, and as he laid in bed, the young baby who would one day become his successor cooed next to him. That was the last thing he saw before his death. But the Essence remained, and the soul passed on.

The sixth and current holder of the Essence is "The Wanderer". Currently, he is preparing the world for its demise, creating clues and a legacy for his seventh and final birth. He does not always follow the path of righteousness that his previous births traveled, instead trying to fulfill his purpose by any means necessary, using the darkness in his heart to achieve those aspirations. He has only lived for 100 years, stuck in immortality until the time comes when he is no longer needed and his purpose has been fulfilled. While he also watches the worlds like his previous birth, he is not completely stationary. He writes about the plagues of others lost in darkness, trying to warn the world about the terrible future to come, without directly telling them. In this he was partially successful; his novels and articles, published anonymously with the help of several colleagues, helped rally small peace movements and widespread discussions across the world, though they were not powerful enough to make drastic change. But it was a start. One of his novels, _The Speed of Darkness_, was about a man whose life had been ruined by global warming, and subsequently set about to stop it, though it ended tragically for him and his daughters. The novel was critically acclaimed, though it did not win any awards. But that didn't matter; at least he knew that somewhere, someone was hearing the words he had spent years preaching and moaning over.

It had been a long time, but the Wanderer felt it was only yesterday that the mysterious meeting that had changed his life. But that was a thought to dwell on for another time…

At the moment, he had to dwell on the more pressing issue: Yugi Muto. He had heard countless stories that had boggled his mind in the last 30 years. But this one was by far the most convoluted. "I mean, come on!!" He thought out loud. "Magical castles that enslave people's memories and holograms that transport people to other worlds! What kind of idiot does he take me for?" This was the part where Yugi got up and threw the jar of pickles at his head. But he didn't even so much as wiggle his pinky. For one, the pickle jar wasn't even near him; he had placed it in the Notebook with the Essence to save for later. Two, he had passed out about ten minutes ago…

_Flashback_

"_And that, my friend, was the last thing I completely remember before my mind went pitch black, and I was sent on a journey unlike any other…"_

_Yugi paused for a minute to catch his breath. When he was finished, the Wanderer spoke for the first time since the last time he had broken the fourth wall. "What exactly happened after you declare your attack? And why did Fu-"_

_But he could not finish his question. For as soon as he started to mention the glaring flaw in the Fusion Guard that Namine had played, Yugi suddenly collapsed in the dirt. Reacting quickly, the Wanderer walked over to where Yugi was and begun to shake him. "Yugi? YUGI?! Wake up, pal! You have a story to finish!"_

_Yugi did not respond. He just lay in the Wanderer's arms, his eyes lifeless and closed, his skin mildly hot, partially from the strange weather in this world, but mostly from the strain of memories on his shoulders._

_Losing hope, the Wanderer pushed Yugi to the side and kneeled on the ground, unsure of what to do next._

_End Flashback_

The Wanderer sighed. This job wasn't easy sometimes. Until Yugi regained consciousness, the darkness would not let the Wanderer leave. Of course, he could use his teleportation gun to leave immediately, but if he did that, then there was a strong possibility that some of this world's darkness would follow him in the form of Heartless and either bring him back or endanger the worlds. And he couldn't risk that.

Besides, he had lost his cards in the duel with Yugi; he needs them back for later journeys…

But, there was one thing he could do. The Wanderer had tried this once before, when Yugi had difficulty recollecting his troubles in the castle. _It could be costly_, he thought to himself, _but I must see this story through to the very end._

The Wanderer needed friends. Very badly. Not as if he was supposed to, however…

He went near the fire and picked up the Notebook and Pencil, which he had discarded for a minute. Then, he opened his Notebook to where he had left off.

The duel had apparently ended when Yugi attacked Namine with his Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning. But he didn't know if Yugi had won or lost; Namine still had a few face down cards, but whether or not she used them was what the Wanderer needed to figure out.

So he walked over to Yugi's unconscious body and, very slowly, began to stick the pencil in his left ear, making sure not to damage his eardrums in any way. His Essence began feeding into the pencil, and the Wanderer used it to his advantage. Concentrating, he imagined the pencil to be longer and narrower, and with a pointier lead. At once, a white Ectoplasm-like substance engulfed the pencil and changed it according to his wishes. The pencil narrowed until it was as sharp as the sword of a Musketeer, as and the length passed his hand, he moved his fingers back to the eraser end and gently pushed the pencil further through Yugi's ear, and to his brain.

Now one may have thought it queer for a man using magical powers to lengthen his pencil and push it into another man's ear. But there was an important reason why this was happening…

Yugi was no longer capable of telling the story. Upon further investigation, The Wanderer realized that the physical injuries suffered from the Heartless had incapacitated him, and his stress levels had reached unimaginable heights. He didn't have all the answers yet, but The Wanderer knew not to disturb him in his healing phase. Yugi was not dead; he could come back to consciousness at any time.

The Wanderer just didn't know when. And he wasn't keen on finding out.

The point reached the outside of Yugi's brain. Only one single push remained between Yugi's deepest, darkest memories and the all-powerful Pencil, a tool that could reveal those memories and free Yugi from his torment forever.

With a single, quick movement, the Wanderer pushed the pencil into its insertion point, closing his eyes in preparation for what was about to happen…

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Well, this was certainly unnessecary blabbering. Or maybe not. It may have been a boring chapter, but it did provide us with some more background information on the Wanderer. Why this is important? You'll just have to keep on reading to find out!**

**Keep reading, ! **

_Next time: Meeting of Destiny: Sora, Riku and Kairi!_


	11. Meeting of Destiny: Sora, Riku and Kairi

**Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts

_Previously:_

_With a single, quick movement, the Wanderer pushed the pencil into its insertion point, closing his eyes in preparation for what was about to happen…_

* * *

**Meeting of Destiny: Sora, Riku and Kairi!**

Before he had even opened his eyes, The Wanderer could sense that the surroundings had changed completely. He was no longer in the dark realm that he had been in originally; the air smelled sweeter though not so far off from being considered mellow and mildly sour. When he finally opened his eyes, the Wanderer saw the color of white etched on the marble floor below him. He looked down, the unconscious Yugi was still draped in his arms, the Pencil still stuck in his brain.

But he was not alone. No, he could sense great power all around him. When he turned around, he saw the grinning, well-built figure of Namine waiting in anticipation. Waiting for something amazing to happen.

The Sanctuary in the Sky was still looming over her, consuming the ceiling with bright, holy lights and fake clouds that bore no rain. The illuminating, imitating sun seemed to make her body grow luminous, as if a Nobody like her could even glow at all...

Wait a minute, what did he call her? A Nobody? The Wanderer clutched his head in confusion. "Wait a minute," he thought out loud. "A Nobody?" He could not help but feel that he had heard that term before? But where? He didn't have the faintest idea as to what a Nobody was? Was she really nobody to begin with? Was she never there at all?

It was at times like these that the Wanderer should have bought that lie detector that one day at Meijer. And it was at a good price too! _Darn it! Why don't I think that my victims ever lie to me? I'm so stupid._

Anyway, there was no time for dilly-dallying. For then the Wanderer turned his head to the other side, where the silhouette of Yugi Muto still stood, unflinching, ready to kill. His ravenous eyes seemed to haunt the Wanderer's soul, or at least they would have had the Wanderer not grown so used to those stares. One other person had cast a gaze similar to that, and he was the one foe that the Wanderer would never capture or defeat, and he would grow to be the greatest monster he had ever seen…

But Yugi seemed different in that respect. He didn't seem evil. Angry, vicious, maybe. But not evil. It was as though he were placed under a veil of darkness that hid his light from the world. Perhaps he had created this veil for himself, to try and protect himself from the evils of the world. But to no avail. He could see the pain, the shame, and the fear in the duelist's eyes, and they did not suggest anything of a vicious person. Not like…

Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning rose up high in the sky, and when Yugi had finished ordering the attack, the soldier's sword began to glow a bright yellow, and the light in the room went out. Both the white lights of Castle Oblivion and The Sanctuary in the Sky's heavenly lights seemed to be extinguished, and the only light in the room came from BLS Envoy, the card that many had sought but only a few claimed. And Yugi Muto was one of them.

Maybe Yugi could win this duel. Maybe there was still light in him after all.

But The Wanderer knew right then and there that something was not right. Namine seemed not to be scared by this threat at all. In fact she seemed kind of glad. The apparent silence that had occurred was broken by a slight giggle. The Wanderer, already unsettled, was freaked out even more when that giggle became a slow laugh, eventually escalating to maniacal laughter/screaming. Her eyes suddenly became white, and white laser beams began to shoot out of her eyes.

"You haven't won, Yugi! You've done exactly what I knew you would do!"

Yugi flinched. "What do you mean? You're using a face down?"

That would have been the logical thing to do. But that is not what Namine said.

"No, Yugi. I will lose this duel. But," She raised her arm carrying her Duel Disk, "in the Envoy Duel, with defeat comes true victory, and with victory comes true defeat!"

All of a sudden, The Sanctuary in the Sky began to disappear into thin air! Slowly, the castle evaporated, but the smoke still remained, working its way down to the Duel Disk and consuming both it and Namine in a big dust cloud…

When the smoke cleared, Namine still remained, but the Duel Disk had suddenly changed appearance. Once the standard Duel Academy version, it was now a white disk with angel wings on each of the sides, and white armor enveloping the Duel Disk, while the Life Point Counter was now yellow instead of blue.

And in all of that confusion, the Wanderer had not noticed the BLS Envoy now charging towards Namine, its master in total shock over what had just happened. If it was not the fact that her Duel Disk had changed appearance, it was the phrase "with victory comes true defeat" that left him speechless. What could she mean? What could-

But then he figured it out. "Oh. My. God." He uttered. She was going to send him away, somewhere else.

"NO! STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Yugi called out in vain. But he could not stop the attack; it was too late.

Then the Wanderer turned to where Namine was standing. "You can't stop what you got yourself into! You can't stop destiny! Now I will send you far away, where you won't hurt anyone ever again!" As the golden monster thrust its sword towards Namine's chest, she put up her Duel Disk to defend herself.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

As BLS Envoy's sword entered the Life Point Counter, Namine's Life Points went to 0. But the contact had been initiated, and when they both collided, the field was consumed by light, enveloping

(_no more_)

everything in the room. The Wanderer himself, not being present at the time the event originally occurred, was unaffected by this, as was the unconscious Yugi of the present. But everything around them was removed from sight

_(no more_)

and it seemed like nothing would survive. The still-standing Yugi was screaming a scream like no other, as his

(no more!) body felt as if it was being ripped apart, like a piece of him had been pulled out of him by a dangerous force, twisting him beyond relief, until the very fabric of time seemed to dominate his senses, transporting him into a world he had not laid eyes on. That which-

_**(ENOUGH!)**_

The Wanderer was taken back by this outburst. He looked down and saw Yugi, who was now shaking in his arms. His eyes were open, and he looked at the Wanderer with pain, anger, but mostly with fear. "The shock from the memory revival must have revived his vitals! Better release him quickly!" He swiftly removed the pencil from Yugi's ear, and the surrounding disappeared and reverted to the dark realm, at the campsite.

Discarding the pencil after restoring it to its regular form, the Wanderer started breathing heavily, sweat soaking his bandaged face, before he fell to the ground, exhausted and weary. Yugi got up and exclaimed. "What the hell did you just do?"

The Wanderer got up after 2 minutes and answered Yugi's question. "That was a Relapse technique. By using the Pencil and the Essence, I can channel the thoughts in my mind and use them to purge the ones I'm looking for out of yours. Because the Essence can create life, it brought your memories to life as well, which is why I was able to see your battle with Namine without actually being there in person. Unfortunately, it has severe consequences at times to both me and you." He brushed the sweat off his forehead. "We were lucky this time, but from now on, we need to make sure you're healthy before you continue. Understand."

Yugi nodded. "Understood."

The Wanderer smiled. "Good. Now let me just get updated in my Notebook while you help yourself to some food." The Wanderer conjured up another Pencil and released some Essence, which subsequently turned into a place of rice and fish, along with some chicken and curry.

* * *

After a while, Yugi finished his food, and was now sitting normally at the fire, facing the Wanderer, who had gotten his Notebook and Pencil and was awaiting Yugi's command. "So, you ready?"

Yugi nodded. "Let's do this."

So he continued from where he left off. "When I was attacked by that flash of light, I don't know what happened. It felt like I was being shot into another world. I was flung out of Castle Oblivion and I was…"

"Was what?"

Yugi shook his head. "Forget it. You wouldn't believe me."

The Wanderer chuckled. "You're talking to a guy who's met someone that cut out his own intestines just to save his own wife, only for her to leave him for another guy. Try me!"

Yugi smiled. "All right then." He resumed his story. "So there I was, consumed by a blast of light. Next thing I know, I'm spiraling like a comet out of Castle Oblivion, although I don't know how exactly the light had lifted me out of the room-"

But as he said this, something weird happened. The surroundings around them had changed once more, to the exact moment when BLS Envoy's attack had caused Namine's Duel Disk to explode in light. The Wanderer and Yugi were still in the same place they had been sitting in in the present day, only the surroundings had made it so that they were sitting in the middle of the duel area where Yugi and Namine had fought, an event which had already happened. Yugi was taken aback at this sudden change in events. "What's going on?"

"That was the effect of the Relapse technique. When it's used, the victim can see his memories happen right before him, as though they were happening in present day. This isn't normal; very rarely does this side effect happen." The Wanderer tapped his forehead in wonder. "You truly are special, aren't you?"

Yugi ignored his comment, and watched in horror as he relived one of the worst moments of his life, when it was turned upside-down by a blast of light. He watched the past Yugi scream in agony as the bright light seemed to cut past his physical flesh, almost as if he was being split in half, one light and the other dark. The Wanderer watched with awe as past Yugi started to twist into taffy; his body was being stretched here and there, dangling across the room and moving in a clockwise circle, his internal structure wracked in pain.

Yugi gasped. He had remembered how terrible this had been for him, and tried to look away. But even as he tried to close his eyes, the worst began to unfold. BLS Envoy, who was now on the other side of the room, behind the Wanderer, transported to past Yugi, who had now become a taffy-like structure hanging loosely in the air. He took his sword, and with a swift movement, stabbed him in the heart.

"What? But that's impossible?" The real Yugi exclaimed. "How was he able to-"

"You seem to forget that in your world, the monsters are real." The Wanderer shook his head. Humans were just idiots sometimes.

Yugi blushed and scratched his head. "Er, yeah. Sorry about that."

As the blade entered past Yugi's skin, he began to glow yellow. Then his taffy body began to float in midair. At first, it only started to rise slowly, but with each passing second, the rising became faster and he started moving towards the ceiling at an alarming rate. It seemed like his feeble structure would be crushed any second. But since the current Yugi and the Wanderer were here, they knew that was not the case.

Without explanation, a hole was blasted in the wall, and the feeble taffy-body of Yugi Muto began a journey to another world, that which would reveal his destiny. The scene around the Wanderer and Yugi changed once more, to the open black sky of the world Castle Oblivion was nestled on. While still sitting, the heroes watched as a huge, white bullet of light carrying past Yugi moved with them, across grassy fields below them (because this was a memory, they could watch events from any angle they chose.), and a crossroad made of grass and road. The bullet was moving at an alarming rate, and current Yugi began narrating once again.

"As I moved across the fabric of space and time, it seemed like an eternal dream that would last forever. And then I saw this." The scenery changed once again; now, the duo were surrounded by a strange gateway, which the past Yugi was traveling in.

The Wanderer had never seen anything more breathtaking and beautiful than anything he had seen in his entire life. They were 'traveling' on a dark grey road, and the gateway was colored light green, with dark green electricity cackling around them, revealing blue-covered portal openings that showed them glimpses of the worlds beyond. He looked to his left, and saw one portal lead to a desert-like town, where he saw a strange thief stealing bread from the local market, with a pet monkey and a magic flying carpet. He also saw a portal next to that, where six children with wings that were flying in the sky, fleeing from half man-half wolf creatures with wings that were not naturally attached to their bodies, evidenced by their lackluster aerial moves and their clumsiness. But for one measly second, the Wanderer had to rub his eyes, because he could have sworn he just saw a portal to his right where he caught a glimpse of a boy killing people with a notebook and trying to become a God.

Yugi could tell by the look of awe on the Wanderer's face that he needed to explain himself. "What you are seeing, my friend, is the gateway of the worlds. This is how people are able to travel from one world to the other. Whenever someone needs to travel elsewhere for their own reasons, they take this gateway. To unlock it, you have to find the one point in your world that contains a rip in the 'fabrics of continuity' and go through it. Only then will you arrive to your destination."

The Wanderer, for once, was generally intrigued. "But how do you find this rip to begin with? And what are the fabrics of continuity?"

"Those were my first questions too when I first traveled on this highway. Now just keep watching and writing; you'll find out eventually."

As if to agree with Yugi's statement, the scenery once more changed, this time to a tropical island. It was a very peaceful island; the sun was shining, the beach was looking lovely, the water glistened brightly, and everyone was peaceful. There were tropical trees as far as the eye could see, carrying hoards of papaou fruit for everyone to enjoy. Of course, for that, they would have to be in love or whatnot, but that was beside the point.

"Ah, papaou fruit. Good times, good times" The Wanderer sighed.

Yugi was shocked. "You've actually fallen in love?"

The Wanderer slapped Yugi across the face. "No, you idiot! I mean that I've eaten it before?"

"You mean you've been here before?"

"Nope." The Wanderer beamed. "But these sell really well at Meijer. That's where I get my high quality pickles from."

Yugi rolled his eyes and looked around. They were 'floating' in the sky looking down at the islands below them, ogling at two teenagers sitting on the beach.

"Who are those guys?" The Wanderer asked.

"Two very special friends of mine…" They were kissing each other on the lips. It wasn't hardcore or anything, just small pecks followed by short breaks. The boy had light-brown spiky hair and crimson blue eyes, while the girl had red straight hair and light blue eyes. The boy was dressed in black clothing, while the other had a red dress on. They seemed to be in love, lost in each other's eyes. Yugi and the Wanderer looked past the lovers to see a white-haired young man sitting on a huge tree root, watching them make out while eating sesame seeds.

"Why don't you two just get a room and spare me all the agony!" In annoyance, he threw a couple of sesame seeds at the boy.

The boy flinched, but the girl just stuck her tounge out at the white haired man. "Oh, relax Riku. You don't HAVE to be spying on us, you know? Right, Sora?"

"Yeah!" Sora agreed. "He's probably just jealous 'cause he doesn't have a girlfriend."

The man called Riku growled. "Say that again!"

"What again?" Sora yelled playfully. "That you're stupid and not as cool as me?"

"Grrr…that's it! Now you're gonna get it!" Riku jumped off the stump with suprising agility and landed on the ground. Then he started running after Sora, who was grinning with playful delight.

"Now you're gonna get it, half-pint!"

"In your dreams!" And there they were, just the three of them, horsing around like good friends, without a care in the world.

"See those three?" Yugi pointed at the trio. "Make good notes of them; they're very important for later."

The Wanderer didn't speak. He merely nodded and wrote some notes down. He could not believe that the man who was cowering in fear a few hours ago was the same man now confidently taking charge. What had happened to make him so strong and fierce like that?

_Maybe I'll never understand the human race after all. They are so interesting._

"They say destiny controls our lives, that certain events can help change them for better or for worse. It was here that I had the meeting of destiny: Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Those three angels would give me so much, so much that life would never be the same again."

"Hey! GUYS!" At this point, Riku had wrestled Sora to the grounds when Kairi called out in fear. Quickly, they rushed over to where she was standing. "What is it?" Sora asked. "Look up there!"

The bullet was crashing down, breaking all barriers of light, sound, and space, and it was aiming right at the three children.

"It was coming fast, but the moments after that event would begin a long, slow journey unlike any other…"

**To be continued**

**What will happen to Yugi now? How is he going to escape from Destiny Islands and return to his old life before it is too late? And what exactly is the deal with the Wanderer's strange powers? Find out more in the next chapter of _Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos!_**


	12. Enter: Kairi, the Princess

Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. Pretty soon, I will be telling you that I don't own any other things. You'll find out what I mean later on, if you're still here by then.

**Enter: Kairi, the Princess!**

_Kairi_

What's that?

Is that your name?

It sounds pretty to me.

I feel at peace when I see your name

On that note you gave me.

_Kairi_

What's that on your head?

Your long, red hair?

It smells nice.

I knew a girl with red hair.

She was terrible.

But you're a cute angel

_Kairi_

You seem sad?

What's wrong with you?

Is there someone hurting you?

Do you love someone close to your heart?

If you do, he's very lucky.

You are sweet.

_Kairi_

I can't help but feel I've seen you before

like in a distant dream about a witch.

But you couldn't be a bit like that

blond witch of death

...

could you?

**The Dark Realm, Present Day**

"You have many parchments like this?"

"Quite a few, I'm afraid."

The Wanderer took the ancient parchment in his hand and carefully held it in his left hand, while waving his Pencil with his other hand, before finally putting the paper safely in his vest pocket after folding it.

"Very interesting." He started pacing around the campfire. "And when did you write this poem?"

"It was long after I left the island. I felt very strongly about this girl, Wanderer…"

This caused him to glance over in Yugi's direction. "Strongly?"

Yugi blushed, realizing what he had just implied. "Not in the way you think, sir. It's…complicated."

The bandaged man fell back into the ground and let out a sigh. "Complicated how?"

Yugi got up and looked up in the sky. "She was the first person I saw when I woke up after a deep sleep…"

_Yugi's POV_

_I was lost. I didn't know what was going on, what was happening to me. All I knew was that I had to escape this rift I had gotten into, by any means necessary._

_This next part is nearly impossible to define in logical terms, but that was normal for me…_

_I found myself on top of a strange tower in the middle of nowhere. All I could see around me was a black sky, the only sources of light being the stars. I was starting get scared. This was pretty creepy, alone in a place like this, with no indication as to where I was. It felt like a dream._

_No, that wasn't right. That wasn't the word I was thinking of. I was going to say…an illusion._

_Yes, that's right. An illusion. A gimmick. A trick. It had to make sense. It had to. What else could this be?_

_Suddenly, I heard a strange whooshing noise in the distance. I looked around to see what the source of it was. Behind me, nothing. In front of me, also nothing. What could it be?_

_And then I saw it. It was hurtling towards me at the speed of a silver bullet. Only this was much bigger and therefore, more deadly than a hundred silver bullets._

_As I shielded my eyes and tried to protect myself, the object finally landed, and emitted another powerful light so strong that it nearly burnt my eyelids off. _

_After the light subsided, I opened my eyes. There, stuck in the ground in front of me, was a key-shaped sword with a mouse-shaped keychain attached to a golden hilt. I was struck in awe. Never had I seen a weapon so magnificent or so beautiful since…the Millennium Puzzle._

_I just hoped that this incredible artifact didn't have any life-changing strings attached to it._

_I hesitated for a moment, then decided to work my way towards the weapon, my feet literally glued to the ground. With great difficulty, I managed to drag my left foot towards the key weapon. Then my my left. Then my right. And so on, I slowly moved my body towards a weapon I had never seen in my entire life. My hands started to sweat and tremble, while my legs began to shake under the pressure. What if this was a trap, I thought. What if this is Namine's doing?_

_Where was she anyway? Did that attack kill her or something? Something in me doubted it. If she was dead, then he probably wouldn't be here in the first place._

_Just as my hand had reached the hilt of the weapon – _

"_Help me, Yugi!" The voice of a young boy called out to me_

_I flinched, and without thinking, I grabbed the weapon with both of my hands and spun it behind my back before turning around and taking a battle position, with the key-sword in front of me. "Who's there? I'll kill you!"_

_But there was no one. I got even angrier. "Show yourself!" I held the weapon even tighter and started swinging it around blindly, knowing nothing was there. But you could never be too careful. _

"_Yugi…help, me please!" The voice now seemed worried, not threatening at all._

_Slowly, I began to calm down. I dropped the blade to the ground, when it suddenly vanished with a burst of light._

"_Huh?" I exclaimed. "Where'd it go?" I was puzzled. "What the heck is going on?"_

"_Look at the image underneath you. And you will begin to understand."_

_Listening to the Voice, I did what he said, and nothing could have prepared me for what happened next._

_The entire floor was painted with an image of me, in a Christ-like pose against a circle of bright white. I was wearing almost no clothes, save for a white loincloth, and my face looked dead, what with my eyes closed and my mouth hanging out. What really got my attention were the circles surrounding my body parts. A circle-like image of a white haired boy was next to my left arm, and a red-haired girl was next to my right arm. A brown-haired boy's picture was right above my head. Jaden's face was next to my left leg, and Sarah's image was next to my left leg. But the most shocking image was the same one I was standing on. It was on my heart. And the place where my heart should have been was gone, instead replaced with an image of another boy, this one a light blonde child. _

_I kneeled down to the boy's face and felt the glass where his hair was. "Why? Who are all these people? Is this one you?"_

"_It was. " Then I saw it. It was a shining orb with no body, glowing bright yellow. "Something terrible-"_

_Just then, before he could finish, the tower and the surrounding began to be consumed in light-_

**Destiny Islands**

"Wake up, mister! You have to get up!"

"GYAHHH!" I woke up with a start. Panting, I put a hand to my sweat-soaked forehead. _It was all just a dream_, I guessed to myself. What a relief. I guess there was nothing to worry about.

And then I saw her.

"Hi there!" A young girl of about about fifteen or sixteen beamed brightly at me, her lips so full of life. I couldn't help but smile back. "Hey," I managed to utter weakly.

The girl brushed a hand through my tri-colored hair and blew some hair out of her face. "You've been out for a while, so we decided to take care of you."

Puzzled, I tried to put a hand to my forehead, but she grabbed it beforehand. "Don't. You don't wanna waste your strength now."

I agreed. "So who's this 'we' you're talking about?"

The girl got up from her chair and started to leave. I panicked; she was the first normal person that I had met in a long time. I didn't even know her name, for crying out loud. "Wait," I started to call out.

But it was too late. She was gone.

I sighed. So it was too good to be true. I was never gonna get happy, was I? Everyone hated me anyway, so what was the point of living on? This girl didn't care about me; she was just trying to be a good person and help. Otherwise, why would she bother for a freak like me? Who was I to anyone?

Maybe it was better if I didn't exist.

I started to examine the room around me. There was relatively nothing of importance; I was just in a straw hut with a single bed and a chair. Except for one picture above the doorway. I closely examined it after walking closer to it. It was a picture of three kids playing in the sand with wooden swords, and they were so…so…damn happy.

Why couldn't I be like that?

But something about those kids seemed familiar. Just when I was about to point out what it was…

"Hey, stranger." The familiar girl was standing in the doorway, holding a strange charm in her hand. "Hope I didn't leave you here too long."

As mad as I was for her leaving abruptly, she was a nice girl who didn't deserve to have her heart broken. So I brushed it off by saying, "It's okay. It's not your fault. What did you leave for, if I could ask?"

She giggled when I said this.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just what you said earlier. If you _could_ ask me what I left for."

I didn't get it. "What's so funny about _that_?"

The girl held the object to her heart. "Everyone can ask questions. We're all _allowed_ to ask questions to something we don't know. It's whether we _want _to ask them that makes all the difference."

I walked closer to where she was standing. "And your point being?"

"It's simple. For instance, when you asked where you were, it's like you _really_ wanted to know where you were."

"Well, yeah. I really did want to know where I was. How can I do what I wanna do if I don't know where I am?"

"Well, why do you need to know where you are to know that?"

"Because if I know where I am, then I'll know something that I didn't already know, and that will give me the confidence to set out to take care of the matter that I couldn't do before."

The girl winked. "Exactly. You wanted to ask one question get on the path of answering another question. That's what makes us so great. It's because we're always asking questions that we're able to get things done. Because we do so much to try and answer some questions, but actually answer questions that we didn't think were possible of conjuring."

About three sweat drops fell from my head. _This girl is getting me lost. _"You're very smart for a teenager, aren't you. I was like you when I was a kid and even _I_ didn't know this much." I chuckled.

She smiled again. There it was again. That beautiful smile. It just seemed to make my heart melt.

"Well," she began, "I did read The Perks of Being a Wallflower when I was 7."

That made me jump in surprise. "What is it?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Er, nothing." I regained my composure and coughed, to clear my throat. "It's just…that's a really young age to read a book like that. It had a lot of adult themes like drugs and sex and, well…"

"What? 7 isn't a good age to learn all of that?"

I nodded. "That you're thinking of those things isn't good when you're a child. Childhood is supposed to be a happy time, when you don't have a care in the world. When you're….infinite."

For the first time, I saw her face grow sad with worry. "Yeah," she reassured. "Infinite. " But the tone in her voice sounded more worried that reassuring. She looked down at her shoes and sighed.

I then did a very bold move. I took my hand and held hers, feeling her warm fingers trembling in mine. I took my free hand and lifted up her head, so that her eyes were making contact with mine. "Did…did you have a bad childhood?"

She shook her head. "Well-"

But she could go no further. For then she heard a young, chipper voice calling out to her.

"Hey, Kairi! Come on! Bring your friend with you! We've got everything set up now!"

"Right there, poochkins!" She yelled, blowing a kiss in the direction of the yell. "Come, on, stranger!" She ran out of the tent and was about to leave when I said, "Kairi!"

She turned her head back. "Yeah?"

"So that's your name, huh?" She nodded in response.

"Uh-huh! And what's yours?" She smiled sweetly.

"Yugi. Yugi Muto." I responded. I smiled back at her to match her beaming face.

And with that, I ran out of the tent, and we were running together, towards the voice that had called us to somewhere new, where I could get my answers at last.


	13. Chapter 13

Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos

Disclaimer: Even though everything except the first two haven't been written about yet, I don't own Yugioh, Kingdom Hearts, Death Note, Maximum Ride, Dragon Ball Z, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Narut (LOL Just kidding). Just something to think about

**Chapter 13**

_Xehanort_

My foolish apprentice

You have surpassed nothing

Only proven what we both know

_Xehanort_

You sacrificed you life for nothing

Your thoughts corrupted your soul

Your heart caused destruction everywhere

_Xehanort_

You slandered my name and killed my land

And messed with the emotions of sweet kids

There is no truly great punishment for you

_Xehanort _

You know nothing, you pile of vile garbage

Contributed mothing to the worlds of value

Only killed in your lust for knowledge and power

_Xehanort_

You cannot win, not against all of us

Even if I must die a thousand deaths

Or slay the hearts of a thousand men

I will get you, Xehanort, and your little friends too.

* * *

About fifty miles away from where Yugi and The Wanderer were sitting, a cloaked man was sitting alone in a dark meridian, contemplating over the memories he had left and trying… trying so hard to cling onto the few he had left.

Almost all that he was had vanished, and all that remained was left here to die in this dark realm. What made it worse was that he didn't even know how he had gotten there. Only that he had been there before, and then once again, and now.

How did he get there?

He was wearing a black cloak, his face overshadowed by the hood attached to it.

Just then, an aqua-haired young woman walked up to him and asked, "Who are you."

The man looked up to the woman, as if surprised, then looked back at the dark horizon. "I rarely have guests here."

The girl immediately spoke up. "My name is Aqua." Then she followed up with "How did you get to this world of darkness? Why are you here?"

The man sadly looked at the horizon once more. "Well when I first came here, and the second time, and now. How did I get here?"

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by someone clapping slowly.

"Well, well, well! What an interesting conversation! Unfortunately, it's so good, I think it's about time I…**cut in!"**

"**NOOOOOOO!" Aqua screamed in pure terror as the mysterious man walked closer to where she and the hooded man where, the latter doing nothing but looking back at the horizon, as if something was there that could free him and Aqua from their impending doom…**

**To be continued**


	14. Enter!: Jaden Yuki

Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts

**Enter!: Jaden Yuki**

Woken up

Feel tired

Can't remember anything

My body is sore.

My heart is ripped.

What have I become?

_Jaden, there is no hope_

_You cannot be one of us_

_No matter how hard you try,_

_You'll always be number two_

**The Dark Realm, Present Day**

The Wanderer was completely puzzled. "There are two poems here."

Yugi nodded. "Yes."

"One of them was written by this Jaden kid, I can see that. But who wrote the second one?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't know, man. I tried to find out who did, but my efforts were all in vain."

The two had now decided to stay in the tent for a while, because it was starting to get cold. The only light was coming from the flashlight the Wanderer had conjured up a few minutes ago. He was looking at another piece of poetry Yugi had obtained in his travels, because he thought it was important.

"So why is this Jaden kid so important? What's so great about him?"

Yugi looked up thoughtfully. "Because I wasn't the only one going through a life-changing journey. Three more journeys would bind many hearts together. One of those..was that of Jaden Yuki…"

The Wanderer wrote down Jaden Yuki's name, and once again his powers activated. Now he started writing at a fast pace, and his eyes glowed bright white. The scenery changed around them once more, showing a café in Venice, with a brown haired boy sitting at the table in front of them, eating a burger and fries. Yugi stopped talking at once and watched the story that was now connected to his memory…

* * *

It was a bright, summer day in Venice. The sun was shining, the children were happy and smiling, and everything was calm and peaceful. It bored the hell outta Jaden.

The eighteen year old Duel Academy graduate sat sulking in his seat, barely touching the fast food in front of him. He had grown accustomed to the life of danger and death that Duel Academy had brought him. Even if it had put all of his friends in danger.

Jaden sighed. Ever since he had fused with Yubel, his happy-go-lucky personality had all but vanished. Where had the time gone? Why couldn't things go back to the way they were? It just wasn't fair.

Just then, the Duel Spirit of Yubel showed up inexplicably next to him. _I heard that, Jaden! Just because I'm a malevolent spirit doesn't mean I don't have feelings too!_

Jaden smiled. _I know that, _he thought. _I'm just really bored is all._

_For one who gets in trouble a lot, you seem to be getting quite fond of it._

_Nah, you got it all wrong. _Jaden looked up at the cloudless sky and twiddled hair in between his fingers. "I just don't wanna blow my summer doing stupid stuff when I could be having fun."

"AHHH! Schizophrenic man!" A random girl on a motorcycle screamed in fear. Unfortunately, she had to take her hands off the handlebars to make this outburst. Therefore, she was unable to prevent her bike from hitting the tree in front of her.

CRASH!

"Oops!" Jaden sweat dropped and stood up. "That's the third time this week!"

_You're lucky they don't arrest you here for things like that_, Yubel remarked.

"Mr. Jaden Yugi! You are under arrest!"

In a matter of seconds, the Venice police that somehow understood English had surrounded Jaden.

"Wait, what?" Jaden was completely shocked. "What did I do?"

The chief officer took out his gun and pointed it at Jaden's head. "Shut up, Mr. Yugi! Don't try to use your status as the King of Game's relative to get yourself out of this?"

"Wait, what?" Jaden repeated. "My last name is Yuki, not Yugi! And Yugi is his first name, not his last!"

"DO NOT CORRECT ME, CONVICT!" A bullet entered his kneecap, and Jaden started rolling on the ground, screaming in pain. "You know it's against the law in Venice to distract hot girls on motorcycles by being schizophrenic!"

Jaden glared at the transparent Yubel. _I hate you so much._

Yubel gulped. _Oh…we're not in Japan anymore._

The scenery now changed to a prison cell about 1 block away from the café. That probably explained why the police were able to arrest him so quickly.

Jaden sighed dramatically and lamented over his present condition. "This is the worst day of my life!"

Winged Kuriboh came out of nowhere and talked to Jaden. "Kuri Kuri (At least you're not bored anymore!)"

"SHUT UP KURIBOH!" He tried to swat Kuriboh out of the way, but unfortunately for him, he was stupid enough not to remember that Kuriboh was a Duel Spirit who had no physical body whatsoever.

Yeah.

After his futile attempts to swat Kuriboh tired him, Jaden sank to the ground and closed his eyes. "It's gonna be okay, " he told himself. "This is a minor crime. I'll probably only be here a day and then he'll let me go."

Everything was fine. Or so he thought.

**WHOOOOOSSSSSSSHH!**

Just then, he heard a loud whoosing noise from outside. This disturbed him a bit, but he disregarded it. Then it came again.

**WHOOOOOSSSSSSSHH!**

This time, it was louder. Jaden started to panic. "What's going on?" he asked the guard.

The guard merely shrugged. "It's probably a tornado or something."

Jaden eyes popped out. "What? A tornado?" It wasn't very likely. "There are no tornadoes in Venice!"

The guard smirked. "What does a convict like you know about our weather patterns?"

Jaden ignored the guards and sat back in his corner. That was when the shaking started.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake uncontrollably. All of the prisoners, specifically Jaden and a heroin addict, started to tremble in fear. The guards took immediate action; that is to say, run away in fear.

"Tornado! Every man for himself!"

One by one, everyone outside the bars ran out of the room; the guards, the officers, and everyone else quickly left the building, leaving only Jaden and his addict friend to fend for themselves.

Jaden grabbed the bars in frustration. "No!" He started to tighten his grip and exclaimed, "What do we do now?"

"I say we get high!" The addict replied.

Jaden shook his head. Well, it looked like he was in this alone. "What do I do now Yubel?" He asked in hope.

Yubel reappeared once more. _You need to call upon the power of the Duel Spirits by meditating. If you do, they will lend you your power and allow you the means by which to escape.  
_

_But we don't have time to meditate! This place is gonna blow sky high! _Jaden thought.

_Just trust me, aibou._ Yubel placed a hand on Jaden's face and smiled.

Jaden felt much better. "I will." Reassured, he sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and began to chant

"Oh, Duel Spirits, please here my call…"

With that, he breathed in and out, allowing the good vibes to enter his body.

"I need to escape this prison. Please, lend me your power…"

Yellow energy began to form around him, though not quickly enough.

"I will always be devoted to you, no matter what. I will not let you down."

At once, his body became infused with incredible powers unlike anything he had ever experienced. Yellow Duel Energy began to envelop his body and surround him in a yellow aura. All of a sudden, his Duel Disk appeared in his arm. When Jaden opened his eyes, he drew a card and was about to summon it when…

…the tornado crashed through the police station.

"This can't be!" Realizing he had no time, he placed the card on his Duel Disk. "I summon Elemental Hero -"

But he could not go any further, and his Duel Disk never registered the card in time.

The tornado began to suck everything in sight; the desks, the papers, the guns. Nothing was spared. The walls were not sturdy enough to prevent the dark winds, and eventually they were also absorbed in the dark storm. The heroin addict was freaking out, of course.

"No! And I was gonna get some PCP with my girlfriend in 3 hours! Why is the world so cruuueeeellllllllllllll?"

And then he was killed by debris, though Jaden was spared, for now.

Jaden clung onto the bars, even as the wind pulled on his arms and legs, trying to suck him up in the tornado. Squinting his eyes, he held on as tight as he could, all while chanting Yubel's name.

"Yubel! Save me!"

The familiar Duel Spirit appeared next to him. "Don't worry, friend! I will protect you no matter what!"

She assumed physical form and formed a wall of thorns around Jaden. The thorns started to produce electricity, and helped her deflect all of the debris coming in his direction. It seemed like nothing would stop them, but then-

A flying truck came and hit Yubel in the head.

"Gyahhh!" Blood began to ooze out of her cranium, and she grabbed her head in frustration. Unfortunately, by doing this, the thorns disappeared as well. "Noo!" Just as she was about to conjure up another wall, a stray knife stabbed her in the abdomen.

"YUBELLLLLL!" Jaden screamed in horror "NOOO!" It felt like someone had ripped his heart out. The noise of the tornado was deafened out by her terrible screams. Jaden could not breathe, let alone call out to his injured friend.

Yubel reached out her hand weakly, even as her body was floating in the winds of the tornado. "J..Jaden…" She feebly called out. "I…l..lo…"

But she did not finish. The wall debris came crashing from below her, and knocked her away by a great distance. Jaden started sobbing as he saw Yubel's corpse being lifted by the tornado – the dark storm of oblivion – into lands unknown, leaving her to her fate.

Unable to take the feelings of remorse and pain that he felt, Jaden let go of the bars.

He had given up. He had taken all the peace he had for granted, and now he would pay the price. So he watched in vain as the storm took him up high in the sky, above all the chaos and destruction below him.

And then he died, right on the spot.

The same girl who had gotten him into this mess in the first place was now floating in front of him holding a gun, and she was on a bicycle now, almost like the Wicked Witch of the East reborn.

Jaden grinned weakly. "Well, give me a blue dress and a dog and call me Dorothy…"

"This is for ruining my bike and robbing me of the time needed to get to safety, Mr. Crazy Nuts!" With that, she pulled the trigger, allowing the bullet to enter his head and blow his brains out.

Jaden's eyes grew blank, and his arms began to fall to his sides…

**The Dark Realm, Present Day**

"Wait, stop!" The Wanderer held up his hands, and the flashback ended. The scenery returned to normal, and Yugi was sweating at what he had just seen.

"So that was how it happened!" Yugi took a deep breath and breathed in a napkin.

"What does ANY of that have to do with the story?" The Wanderer was frustrated by now. "Do you WANT him to find you?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, but this is vital to understanding his plans!"

"Oh, yeah? How so?" The Wanderer walked out of the tent and motioned for Yugi to follow him, which he did. Once they were outside, and the air got a little warmer, he continued.

"You're telling me that one person dying has to do with your travels in other worlds! But he's dead? How is that going to influence anything?"

Yugi shrugged. "Who said he was dead?"

The Wanderer blinked. "What?"

"I never got to finish explaining what really happened to him. But what happened to him can't be fully explained until after I finish a crucial part of my story. Didn't you know that I am the Keyblade Master?"

The Wanderer's eyes boggled. "Go on…"

**To be continued**


	15. A Hero's Beginning

Tales of the Wanderer: Heart of Chaos

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or Kingdom Hearts. If I did, they would come together and make millions of dollars. Too bad…

**A Hero's Beginning**

_Long ago, the world was united and filled with warm light._

_People loved the light, and eventually began fighting over it._

_Then, Darkness found its way into people's hearts._

_Darkness consumed the hearts and light of the people,_

_and in a flash it spread..._

_The world disappeared into the darkness._

_But a glimmer of light remained in the hearts of children..._

_Children gathered their glimmers of light and recreated the worlds._

_The recreated world, however, was no longer united..._

_It was divided into several smaller worlds._

_Because the true light was still hidden deep within the darkness..._

* * *

"Yugi, this _isn't_ a poem." The Wanderer put the poem in his notebook by turning it into Essence,and then turned back to Yugi, hoping to get an answer.

Yugi nodded in agreement. "Yes, and no. It is poetry because it's about life…Our lives."

The Wanderer raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"This is not just a piece of poetry or just a fairy tale. This is real…"

Yugi held up his half-eaten sandwich and showed it to the bandaged man, the latter looking away with disgust."Geez, Yugi! I give you food and expect you to eat it, not shove it in my face!"

"But I'm only trying to illustrate my point. See the sandwich closely." He pointed at his stomach. "It's no longer whole; part of it is now in my stomach. So the sandwich isn't really gone; part of it lives in me, while the other still remains complete. It's just like the worlds; they were one, but became separate smaller worlds because of the darkness. But like the sandwich will one day become whole," Yugi said, eating the remaining half of the sandwich, "so will the worlds, because the true light remains as the connection between them. People just have to let go like the darkness."

The Wanderer smirked. "Well, what connects the two sandwich halves?"

"Hunger. Desire. That is what."

**Destiny Islands, One year ago**

I was in a library on the far side of the island, sitting on one of the bamboo-constructed chairs in front of a wooden bookcase holding entire collections of Star Trek books and magazines.

And then he walked in.

Sora.

I knew who he was because Kairi had told me earlier. He was her boyfriend, and also an extremely powerful fighter. She said that he could have the answers I was looking for, and that he could even figure out how to get me home. I hoped to God that she was right.

The boy in front of me was dressed in a entirely black outfit, consisting of a baggy black and silver shirt, shorts, and had many zippers and leggings. He wore a crown necklace, and his shoes were big and colored yellow and black. He wore black gloves with yellow lining, and right now, he was carrying a tote bag over his right shoulder. After setting the bag on the table nearest to me, he walked over to the bookcase where I was sitting next to, and pulled up a chair, before proceeding to sit down.

"Hey there. Yugi, right?" He held out his hand. Reluctantly, I accepted it and we shook hands.

"Now that's better. In case you wanted to know, I'm Sora." He smiled.

Now that was reassuring. I felt a little less angry and a little more happier now. A little.

I faintly returned the gesture. "I know; Kairi told me about you."

"Did she now?" Sora got up and started flexing his muscles. "She probably told you how strong and flexible I was!"

I laughed wholeheartedly. "Well, she does think you're strong, but not in the sense you think."

Sora blushed a bright red and stopped flexing. "Er…okay." Uncomfortable, he sat back down. After regaining his happy composure, he proceeded to ask, "So why are you here?"

I put a hand to my forehead. I was afraid he would ask me that. "It's just that…Forget it."

But now he was curious. "What? Forget what?"

"Nothing; I don't wanna talk about it. You may not like it…" The last thing I wanted to do was tell a complete stranger my life story. I didn't know at that point if I could trust anyone again.

Not again. No, not again. Not completely again. Perhaps not ever again.

But Sora didn't give up. Not him. He held my hand and pressured me to continue. "Come on…you can trust me."

A tear began to fall down my cheek. "How?"

"You're Kairi's friend, right? And I'm her boyfriend. That means you and I are connected." Sora held his other hand close to his heart. "I trust Kairi with all my heart, and because she had opened her heart to you, I can trust you as well. Because I trust Kairi so much, that's why I'll never doubt her judgment."

I was amazed at how this young boy was capable of so much trust and love. How could he possibly know any of those things at this age? Maybe it was those qualities that made him special. Many months later, I would grow to adore and love Sora maybe as much as Kairi did. That boy was truly special, in so many ways. If only I had realized it at the time, I would have appreciated him a lot more…

If only I had…

I then proceeded to start my hunt for answers. First question: "Where am I?"

Sora nodded. "I think we've held that back from you for long enough. You're not on your world anymore. You're on the island world of Destiny Islands."

My eyes began to widen with fear and astonishment. "W…what?"

"I was making out with Kairi when it happened." He then began to describe the incident with the burst of light that suddenly crashed on their home. "We were very scared, Kairi especially. So we ran over to see what happened. When we got to the site of the crash, we found you."

"You were all bloody and cut up, your entire body was charred and charged with lightning, and your clothes were burned pretty badly. That's why we got some new clothes for you."

He pointed to the long, white buttoned shirt and silk white pants that I was now wearing. It was true, apparently. I must have forgotten to mention that my original clothing was burnt beyond restoration. Suddenly, I thought of something else. "My cards! What happened to my cards?"

Sora looked down at the ground. And then I knew. "They didn't make it; did they?" Even though I already knew the answer.

Slowly, Sora reached in his coat pocket and pulled out ten cards. "These were the only ones that could be saved. I'm sorry, Yugi." With that, he fanned out the cards in his hand for Yugi to see. They were Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Valkerion the Magna Warrior, the three Magnet Warriors, the 3 Egyptian God Cards, and Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning. The card that had started this whole madness. Then he put them back in his pocket.

I started to cry miserably. I had lost everything. Nothing of my old life was left anymore. First my friends, and then the Pharoah, and now my cards. I had never felt so alone in my entire life. What was the point anymore?

"I think I know why're you're here." As if to answer my question, Sora held up his hand, and did something that I will never forget. At once, a key-shaped weapon appeared in his hand, with a mouse-shaped silver key chain. "You're here for this, aren't you?"

_No, it's not possible! That was the weapon in my dream!_ I started to panic, and once I saw the weapon in his hand, I screamed as loudly as I could, falling out of my chair as a result.

This upset Sora very much. "What is it?" He started with a worried expression, walking over to me…

"STOP! Get away!" I pushed Sora to the ground with all my strength and started to run for the library doors.

All of a sudden, I was thrown smack dab into the wall next to the door.

THUD!

The right side to my face collided with the bamboo wall, and my body hung limply next to the obscure wall. And all this time, I was wondering what was keeping my body stuck to the wall.

"It's the Keyblade, you fool! I threw the Keyblade at your shirt, and it's keeping you against the wall right now." And when I looked down, he was right. The weapon was next to my stomach, holding my shirt to the wall.

I started trembling in fear over the predicament my paranoia had gotten me into. "What's the…Keyblade?"

That was when the storytelling began. He told me that the Keyblade was a powerful weapon that could only be held by chosen wielders, and was capable of tremendous powers. You see, the worlds were at conflict because of the darkness, and those with the Keyblades had the power to travel around the worlds and save the victims from their troubles, effectively keeping the worlds at balance. Moving on, he spoke of the powers it had; for one, it could allow the user to break the barriers that prevented most people from travelling from one world to another, which protected the worlds from coming together, in order to preserve the natural order of things. Only someone with a strong heart that contained little darkness could be a true wielder, and if one chosen to wield the weapon lost their hearts to darkness, the Keyblade was passed on to the next strongest heart with less darkness.

He then proceeded to tell me his story, of how he lost his home to darkness because of his friend Riku, who was supposed to wield the Keyblade instead of Sora. However, he lost his heart to darkness, and so the Keyblade was passed on to Sora. Then Destiny Islands was consumed by darkness, and he was sent to Traverse Town, where he met Donald and Goofy, good friends who would aid him in his quest to find his friends and inadvertently save the worlds in the process.

"So you see, there are a few things here that aren't the same as what you're used to." Sora continued, pacing around the table as he spoke.

"Like what?"

"Well, for instance, a heart isn't a physical organ, like they teach you in biology. No, a heart is more like a ball of red energy that has special powers. And when it leaves the body…."

I was intrigued by this new revelation. "What? What happens?"

Sora brushed it off. "Well…forget it. You'd think it was stupid."

At this point in my life, it was impossible for me to consider anything was farfetched. "Try me."

The brown-haired boy continued. "When a heart leaves the body, it succumbs to darkness and becomes a being without a heart; a Heartless."

I couldn't help but laugh at this obvious pun. "I see your point."

Sora nodded in agreement. "Their sole purpose in life is to collect hearts, eventually reaching the hearts of worlds. Because they must."

I could tell this was not good. Worried, I put a hand to my forehead and sat down on the ground. "That's remarkable! Beings who steal hearts? And you've seen them?"

Sora turned around and looked blankly in front of him. "Yeah, we have a history, what with me being the Keyblade Master and all?"

Whistling in amazement, I told him, "Wow…"

This caused Sora to get all riled up. "The Keyblade Master. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well it's NOT!" His voice sharply rose and became less calm and cheerful and more aggressive and pained. "I've had to travel for a long time to other worlds in order to free them of the Heartless, as well as solving all those personal problems. Quite recently, I had to save the worlds from a cloaked group called Organization XIII!"

"Who are they?"

"A group of Nobodies – that is, the body and soul left behind after a person loses their heart to darkness- who wanted to destroy a lot of people to get hearts again. Except for their leader. He was just power crazy."

Thinking about Marik, Bakura, Zorc, and Kaiba before the Pharoah freed him, the following statement slipped out of my mind. "I know what you mean dude."

This was followed by a strike to the face by the Keyblade. "SHUT UP! How could you know what it's like to save toe world, always trying to solve other people's problems, while never always solving your own? How could you know the pain of losing your loved ones and trying to find them, not knowing how they were or what they were doing now? How could you know what any of that feels like, Yugi? You've never had to see your home blown away and watch everything you knew and loved be snatched away! You've never had to sleep for a year and wake up to find that everyone was still suffering, not knowing why you were sleeping or what caused it to happen? You don't know what it's like to turn your back on the world when they needed you, whether it was intentional or not! So how could you know what a hero really feels, Yugi?"

"**BECAUSE I DO!**"

Sora was taken aback at this outburst. My hair now overshadowed my eyes, and my voice became just as angry and malicious as his voice had been earlier. "I know exactly what a hero has to go through because I WAS A HERO, SORA! I WAS ONE!"

And then it spilled out. All of it. I told him of my adventures on Earth, about the Millennium Items and the Pharoah, starting from Duelist Kingdom and going on to Battle City, The Lost City of Atlantis and Orichalcos, The Grand Championship, and of the final battle with Zorc and the Ceremonial Duel. I told him all the losses I had endured, from Tristan's death to grandpa's death, and the loss of all my friends. Everything that had happened to me since my Pharoah had left. Just when I was about to tell him of my encounters with Namine and my daughter's apparent kidnapping –

"Sora!" It was Riku, the friend that Sora had told me about, the one who lost his heart to darkness but became good again. "It's them. They're coming."

Sora nodded. "I'll finish soon. Yugi, come on!" With that, he ran out of the library and into the sand. I followed him out of the library. "Wait," I called out, trying so hard to keep up with the young and more agile child. "Where are we going?"

Sora did not answer, and merely kept I complied and ran a little faster, in the hopes that my questions would be answered….

**About 10 minutes later**

Eventually, we were led to a strange place on the island. There was no sand here; all that could be seen for miles was just grass and rocks. There were giant pillars of rocks every square mile, and we were standing in a circle built in rock that was about 2 miles long. In the middle of the circle, there was a single card face down inside a smaller rock circle that was yellow.

As I looked in amazement at the card, Sora thumped in the head. "What are you waiting for, idiot? Pick it up!"

Surprised and baffled, I slowly reached down to pick up the card. "Now, don't look at it. Put it in your Duel Disk."

I put the card in my now empty Duel Disk, which had magically appeared on my arm, and turned the Duel Disk on. "Exactly what is this about?"

"I know how to get you a deck. We have Duel Monsters in our world as well." Sora's Duel Disk appeared on his arm, which already had his deck loaded up. "Now, there's a special power in our world that allows us to create our own decks in a special Pickup Duel…"

"What's a Pickup Duel."

Sora closed his eyes and began to speak. "Long ago, the first inhabitant of this island had a Duel Monsters deck and no one else to talk to. He had special powers that enabled him to speak to Duel Spirits, and when he died, his Duel Energy resided in this place, allowing the powers, magic and monsters of the Monster World a portal from which to enter our world. From now on, if someone wants to create their own Deck to start off dueling…."

He pointed at the yellow circle in the ground. "They have to create their cards with the energy inside their hearts!"

I had dueled for over 10 years, and I had never heard anything like this. "What?"

"You'll figure out in a few minutes. So let's duel!"

Sora: 8000

Yugi: 8000

As their Duel Disks activated, Sora took the first move. "I draw!" He drew. "And I summon Blade Knight (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200) in attack mode!" A monster in shining armor appeared on Sora's side of the field, with a sharp sword. "I end my turn.

"My move." Since I only had one card in his Deck that was the one I picked up. It was Warrior Dai Grepher (ATK:1700 DEF:1600)! "I summon Warrior Dai Grepher to the field in Attack Mode!" The dragon-slaying warrior appeared on the field, green sword in hand. Warrior Dai Grepher yelled triumphantly and ran towards Blade Knight. "Attack his Blade Knight now!" The stronger warrior cut off the weaker's one's head, his stray body exploding into thin air.

"Is that all you got, Sora…" I, the King of Games, had returned to prove my strength once more…


	16. Author's Note: End of Part 1

Author's Note

After much consideration (In other words, fifteen minutes), I have decided to end the fanfic at this point. But this does not mean the end of the story of Yugi Muto and the Keybladers.

I am not discontinuing the story. I am merely deciding to split the fanfic into multiple parts. The first part that I am completing is merely the beginning. The first part, if you will.

The second part will consist of Yugi gaining the Keyblade and travelling the worlds to fight the Heartless, while in the present day, Yugi explains the secrets of his past to the Wanderer, including the whereabouts of his lovely daughter, Sarah. Does Yugi ever rescue her from Namine?

Also in the second part, more storylines are approached. Sora and Kairi reach a breaking point in their relationship, after an incident caused by our –ahem- favorite protagonist, and begin to grow distant from each other. Also, a new trio of warriors called the Keyblade Elect are introduced as supporting characters, to add to the ongoing conflicts both inside and outside our heroes. A newly resurrected group returns to add to the suspense, including a familiar someone from Yugi's past, who threatens to destroy both him and everything he holds dear. Who is it?

In the thirt part, new characters are introduced, including some familiars from famous books and animes, some of which involve tatooed boys, winged children, and magical balls that grant wishes. Feel free, as always, to figure out what I am talking about. Also, Yugi gains a new Keyblade, and a special ally to go with it, someone who bears a shocking resemblence to…

The fourth part…will conclude the entire story, and also resolve the secrets in the Wanderer's past as well.

But to find out what happens to Yugi, and if he gets out of the realm of darkness…

Just keep on reading, and keep patient. (Seriously on the patient part. I'm going to college soon, and after summer comes, I won't update as frequently)

Even though I don't have the reviews to show for it, I know I have some faithful readers out there. I hope that I will become as famous as my friend and inspiration, Neomage, who dazzled the Yugioh fanfic base with Yugioh Forever and Eternal. Thank you for not giving up on me, Neomage: I'll never stop writing, no matter what. And I will finish this fanfic, even if no one ever reads it.

To everyone else, I hope you continue to read my story, and even if you don't, then promise to never give up on fanfic reading, even if the authors never update for years.

I did not intend to end the fanfic this way, but the story lives on, and so will the stories that I write for years to come, even if I put away my computer and never write another fanfic again.

Stay gold…and if I've said anything wrong, please let me know…


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